Spirit of Nature
by sivsc
Summary: Seven years have passed and a new evil has invaded the Spirit World. Seeking the powers of the mystical Dragon of Nature it goes to the Human World knowing that the powers it seeks lies in Chihiro, can Haku help her before it's too late, or will Chihiro a
1. The Evil One

Spirit of Nature

I do not own Spirited Away or in any shape, way, or form releated to the creator of Spirited Away.

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Chapter One: The Evil One

Haku found himself shivering from an unexpected cold breeze, it was after all, mid-summer and he didn't expect such a chilly wind to be blowing through Spirit World at this time of year. Several other spirits were also shivering and Haku was glad to see that he was not the only one who felt it. Rin was running past him and stopped for a second to comment on the cold, "It sure is cold in here, and I don't like it. I wonder what could have caused it; it shouldn't be cold, especially at this time of year."

"Yes it is strange," Haku told her, "such a breeze usually doesn't come until autumn or winter." He shivered again and Rin nodded. The sudden breeze seemed to turn colder and stronger until the weather outside became windy and cold. In some places frost and snow had begun to cover the ground, all of the windows and doors in the bathhouse were shut, yet the cold seem to remain. Haku looked out the window in astonishment; this didn't happen unless an especially powerful spirit was coming.

As he was now master of the bathhouse, Haku ordered a room to be prepared for their guest. A dark spirit was soon seen walking along the bridge towards the bathhouse. The wind and cold did not seem to bother him; the earth seemed to tremble in fear below his feet. The spirit was muttering under his breath, "He lives here I know he does, I can sense his presence from within. Try to not hide from me Kohaku for I know you are there." An evil grin spread slowly across his shadowed face.

Trying not to cower in fear a few brave bath attendants quickly opened to door to let the spirit enter, Rin herself was among them. "Where is he? Where is Kohaku? I demand to see him." The spirit called out. His voice sent a chill running down Rin's spine; she didn't like this spirit whoever he was.

"Master Haku is not here at the moment." A brave frog stepped forward. The spirit glanced at him, fiery red eyes starred straight into his soul, determining how weak this frog was.

"Do you dare defy me?" He shouted. "Then you will face the consequences! Wind and snow, ice and rain, bid my call to you today, let this spirit cry in vain. Let his soul freeze in pain!" A sudden gust of wind and snow encircled the frog; his doomed scream frightened everyone there. Finally the miniature tornado stopped and left a frozen frog in its place. He was not breathing his eyes in a frozen stare of pain and suffering, it was soon apparent that he was in pain. A few female bath attendants screamed in horror and alarm, they too were frozen to death by the evil spirit. "I demand to see Kohaku now!" he screamed in frustration. Freezing a few more attendants until only Rin was left, looking up at him in horror.

Rin, fearful for her life, quickly sprinted away from the spirit before he noticed her running down the hall. Angry he roared and sent a mystical ball of wind at her, dodging the ball before it had the chance to hit her, she ran into Haku who was walking toward the entrance, alarmed at the sound of the screaming. "Rin," He cried his eyes fearful, "what happened?"

Rin looked at Haku and started to sob. It was a while before she could recover her voice and talk, "The spirit, he froze the bath attendants looking for you. I don't know what got into him, but he started to demand that he see you as soon as he got here, I am afraid. Don't go Haku; I don't know what he wants with you, whatever it is it isn't good."

Haku sighed, "I must Rin, even if I am afraid. He is a powerful spirit and must be treated with respect. You never know, perhaps he came in peace and killed those bath attendants because he is frustrated." Rin shook her head no and begged him not to leave. He shook his head and walked away, summoning all of her courage, she trailed him and hid in a dark corner, listening to the conversation.

Haku looked at the stranger his jade eyes gleaming, "Why do you demand to see me sir? What is it that you want?"

"Ah there are many things I want," the spirit told him, "but there is one thing that intrigues me the most. Lord Kohaku, spirit of a river that now does not exist; I am asking you a favor. Lead me to the girl Chihiro, also known as Sen, for I wish to speak to her."

_Chihiro, what does he want with her, I better find out before anything bad happens to her. _

Thoughts of all the bad things that could happen to Chihiro raced around in his mind. Willing himself not to think about them he replied, "Chihiro is not here, now if you'll excuse me. I have more important matters to see too." Haku turned around to walk away, but the strange spirit's icy stare made him shudder in fear and he found the he could not move. His jade eyes desperate for a solution as the spirit looked at him, amused.

"I am not stupid Kohaku," the spirit spook in a harsh manner that Haku was not used to, "or Haku, as you seem to be more commonly referred to here. I know that she is human and currently here at the moment, that is why I asked you lead me to her. Now I am asking you one more time, lead me to her."

His glare intense and disapproving Haku thundered, "I will not! If you seem so intent as to meeting her why not go to the human world yourself? I do not know where she is; even if I did I would not tell you!" The spirit looked at him with disapproving eyes, though they glittered at the thought of something, something evil that he was planning.

"You have used up all your chances." The spirit said menacingly. "I have asked kindly and you have refused now I will ask you again, and this time if you do not answer I will drain your powers! Lead me to the girl Chihiro!"

"I will not!" Haku roared. "I told you she is not here, and I am not in the mood to lead you to her."

"I warned you what would happen if you refused!" The spirit laughed and a grabbed a sword that had laid on the ground for some time. Muttering a few phrases over the blade, it glittered and silvery shine passed over it. He touched the flat part of the blade on Haku and watched as he screamed at the searing pain that was caused by it. He struggled to get the blade off of him, but it was no use. All of his spells failed and his energy was slowly draining. His body soon lay limp, and the spirit laughed finally removing the sword from Haku's body. He was too weak to talk, much less move, but a single tear fell out of his green eyes. Rin watched the scene in horror as the spirit laughed at his deed.

"I have warned you of the consequences Haku," the spirit said, "yet you still refused. It would be fair to tell you that I want many things and I usually get what I want. Do you know why that is? Because I am the Evil One, the one that sends shivers running down the spines of many spirits and dragons. I suppose you have heard of me through stories of my evil deeds. True I was captured by a great and powerful dragon and imprisoned so that I may never do harm again, but I have since broke free from my imprisonment. You should have done what I asked you too, but you choose not to and instead paid the consequences. You are weak Haku, a weak dragon nothing that I couldn't handle and I will get to Chihiro even if it means killing you." Another dark spirit suddenly appeared and the Evil One stopped to talk to him. Nether one noticed a female bath attendant walking towards the injured spirit.

"Oh Haku," Rin whispered, "Is there anything I can do to help you."

Summoning the last of his strength he replied, "Go to the human world, and find Chihiro. Tell her what has happened, go you must hurry."

"But Haku you are injured."

"Go, I will be fine. Tell her what has happened…" Haku fainted before he could finish and Rin silently wept for him. Glancing out into the darkness, she knew what had to be done. She ran, and the Evil One did not notice until she almost reached the gate between the Spirit World and the Human World.

"After her," he cried to one of his henchmen, "before she gets too far." The henchman nodded and silently followed Rin, but she did not notice him.

The Evil One starred in frustration at the race. He then looked down at Haku who seemed to be murmuring something. "Chihiro, where are you? I need your help…" Haku whispered into the ground. The Evil One looked at him and tried to listen to what he was saying, but Haku had stopped. He looked at the boy in disgust and ordered that he be put into an empty guest room where no one would find him. He did not notice a spy, a water spirit starring at the scene before her.

Her eyes widened at the sight of her friend Haku lying on the ground, week and helpless. "I will help you with your quest." She whispered. "I will protect your Chihiro." Her sapphire eyes intense, she changed into her dragon form. That of a silvery dragon with sapphire mane and silvery horns, her crystal blue eyes starred up into the sky and she flew away in the direction of the gate. Rin noticed the dragon flying towards her and stopped to wait.

"Natsuko," Rin cried in joy as the dragon landed, "I am so glad to see you my friend." Natsuko impatiently motioned to Rin and grunted Rin nodded understanding that she wanted her to mount. Quickly climbing onto the dragon, they flew away into the darkness. The dark spirit in the shadows smiled, demonic wings slowly unfolded from his back and he flew into the air following them in the shadows.

While this was happening, Haku was stuck in an empty guest room, weak and bleeding. The Evil One had arrived moments before and demanded that he lead him to Chihiro, when he refused he used to sword to attack him. He did not have enough strength to change into his dragon form, at least not yet. Though it was hard, he had heard Natsuko and the promise that she had made to him.

_Chihiro, where are you? I need you, I miss you. Chihiro!_

He thought, a single tear fell out of his eyes at the thought of his beloved Chihiro and he fell unconscious. A dark cloud covered the glowing light of the moon, it was a symbol that evil had taken over a peaceful world and more darkness was soon to follow.


	2. Darkness

Chapter Two: Darkness

Chihiro sat at her desk, thinking of the dream the night before. It had been so vivid, so life-like, that she almost forgot that it was a dream. In it she saw Haku weak and bleeding, his powers drained and an evil person laughing at him. Telling him what a weak little dragon he was, how it was so easy to drain his power. In it she heard a desperate thought from Haku, a cry for help a cry for her.

_I'm coming Haku! I am coming to save you!_

She remembered thinking. The dream had ended with a scene of Rin flying on a silvery dragon, at first she thought it was Haku, but then she notice the sapphire mane and realized that it could not be him. She felt so helpless; she knew that something was wrong. Tears fell out of Chihiro's eyes and onto her desk, her mother walked into her room at that moment and noticed her daughter crying, "What's wrong Chihiro? What's the matter?"

Chihiro shook her head and ran out of her room, almost running into her father who happened to be looking for her mother. They looked at their daughter running outside crying, and her mother shook her head. She felt helpless, she could do nothing to ease the pain of Chihiro and that made her sad.

_Haku, where are you? _

She thought as she walked outside, a gentle breeze chilled her a bit and she shivered at the cold. It had been seven years since she had last seen Haku, and she had grown. Her hair was now longer and she had more feminine features. Chihiro had grown to be a very pretty girl, yet she was still shy and only had a small group of friends. Boys chased her, but she always thought of Haku and would not talk to them. Choosing to ignore them, but they would only come back.

"Chihiro," she heard a voice calling for her, "Chihiro come over here we need to talk." She recognized it almost immediately; it was that of her friend Rin's. Surprised she ran into the woods back of her house where the voices seemed to be coming from. Rin was there along with a silvery dragon who seemed both nervous and tense.

Thinking that it was Haku, she hugged Rin and walked over to the dragon. The dragon's crystal blue eyes told her that it wasn't Haku. It seemed familiar though and she suddenly remembered why, it was the dragon from her dreams, the dragon that Rin was riding. It gave a snort and a grunt and quickly changed back into its human form.

Rin looked at Chihiro, "Here let me introduce you two, this is Natsuko, Natsuko this is Chihiro. You don't know this Chihiro, but Natsuko is a river spirit, like Haku. Her river was destroyed around the same time as his. They both came to the bath house around the same time and they have been friends ever since they were still quite young. It was chance that they met after Haku drove out Yubaba and took control of the bath house. Well I guess we better tell her what we came here to tell her." She looked nervously at Natsuko.

"I'll say it then," Natsuko said she sighed, "Chihiro we hate to be the bringers of bad news but we are. Last night a powerful spirit arrived at the bath house, it was looking for Haku. When he didn't find him he started to kill the bath attendants and frogs that had come to greet him. Rin was among those and was lucky to get away before she too died. Haku talked to this spirit and asked him what it wanted, it said that it wanted you Chihiro for reasons we still do not know. When he refused to lead him to you the spirit asked him again and again. Then the third time he refused he drained Haku's powers, I am sorry that you had to hear this but it's true. He then revealed himself to be the Evil One, I don't know if you've heard of him, but he's an evil spirit that's feared by many spirits and dragons such as me. He was captured and imprisoned for some time by a powerful dragon that could control all the elements. It seems like that he has broken free of the imprisonment, and the dragon that I mentioned was the only one that had both the means and cunning to capture and imprison him. Sadly, the dragon was killed in a battle with another demon. Haku though is fine, though he is weak, he asked us to come here and to tell you what has happened, but fainted before he could give Rin any more instructions." Natsuko was silent as she watched Chihiro consider what she had said. Tears started to fall out of her eyes and Rin looked at her with sympathy.

"I never knew that something like this could happen." Chihiro finally replied. "Thanks for telling me, I guess I just needed to know." The gentle breeze was now blowing harder and it turned chillier and chillier despite the fact that it was mid-summer, both Rin and Natsuko frowned, the same thing had happened when the Evil One had arrived at the bath house. Chihiro chanted something that she never heard before, quietly so that Rin and Natsuko didn't hear. The wind slowed and it grew warmer, Rin and Natsuko looked around in both surprise and fear. They knew that magic had been used to slow the wind and stop the cold, but they didn't know who did it and for what purpose. The Evil One hissed behind a tree at the sight, his spell had been stopped by a stronger one, and he knew exactly where the spell was coming from.

Chihiro smiled and started to walk back to her home, Rin and Natsuko following her unsure of where they were going. She then suddenly realized that it would be difficult for her to explain about the two and that they might not be able to stay with her. Chihiro turned around to face her two friends and explained, "I can't let you be seen so I'll have to hide you, I know a spot in the woods where you won't be seen and shouldn't be found. I'll leave blankets, some food, futons, and some clothes for you to wear." The wind grew stronger and the weather turned colder. Chihiro shivered from the cold, and looked at her friends; they too were shivering a bit. She quickly decided that it would be best for them to go inside, no matter what her parent's said.

"Chihiro," she heard her mother yelled, "Where are you? Please come inside it's getting colder outside."

Chihiro yelled back, "I'm coming mom!" She shook her head and her friends followed her to the house, the never made it. A sudden gust of wind forced them to stop and the blizzard made it hard for them to see. Chihiro started to shiver hard and sneezed. Strange laughter could be heard all around them. A dark figure materialized in front of them.

"I always get what I want," it said, laughing menacingly, "and I want you, Miss Chihiro."

"What do you want with me?" Chihiro screamed at the strange person. "I am of no use to you!"

"Ah, but you are Chihiro." The dark figure said again. "For you contain one of the most powerful dragons ever to be seen the dragon that could control all elements, the dragon that captured me five hundred centuries ago." Natsuko looked at Chihiro in shock, now she understood why the Evil One had been so intent as to capture her.

"That's not possible," Chihiro said, "if I am the dragon, then why haven't I changed into one yet."

"Because you have never used your powers Chihiro," the dark figure smiled, "until now that is. I know that you used a spell to make it warmer and less windy. That means that your powers have reached the point where you can now use them, and I want those powers of yours. I am sure that your friends have told stories of me, and I am sure that your friends know who I am."

Natsuko enraged summoned water from a nearby stream and aimed it at the Evil One. It was no use though, as he deflected it quite easily. The water surged around Chihiro and for a second she was drowning in the half-frozen water, desperate she started to chant. The words came to her quite easily, though she had never heard them before. The water that surrounded her immediately began to recede, leaving her dripping wet. The wind blew harder and the snow continued to fall, Chihiro shivered from the cold. The Evil One looked at her with hateful eyes and said, "That was only a warning Chihiro, next time you won't be so lucky." He left, but it continued to snow and the wind only blew harder.

"Chihiro where are you?" Her mother cried. "I heard voices outside and I am worried, come inside now!" Chihiro quickly found her secret hiding spot and showed Natsuko and Rin. When she was sure that they would be fine she walked inside, and noticed that her clothes were drenched she grimaced. It would be hard to explain that to her parents. Her mother quickly spotted her wet clothes.

"Chihiro, why are your clothes all wet?" her mother cried shocked. "Who did this; you could have gotten a cold."

"Some boys were running back home and they did notice me," Chihiro quickly lied, "they accidentally ran into me and pushed me into a nearby stream, I fell in. That's why my clothes are all wet."

"Well go upstairs and change your clothes, and if you know who these boys are please tell me." Chihiro nodded and ran upstairs. Quickly changing into dryer clothes, she sat on her bed. Thinking of Haku she looked outside her window, the blizzard was quickly getting worse and worse. Then she remembered Natsuko and Rin, they would be really cold outside in this type of weather. Quickly gathering blankets, futons, and some clothes she went downstairs. Her mother had already prepared dinner and was waiting for her to come downstairs.

"I admit that I do not know these boys," Chihiro quickly lied, "I have never seen them before and so do I not know their names." Her mother nodded, outside in the cold weather Natsuko and Rin were wondering when they would get the things that Chihiro promised to get them.

"It's freezing out here," Rin said crossly, "I wonder if Chihiro forgot about us. I really hope that she didn't." Natsuko nodded and looked at the building that Chihiro had walked into; she wondered if that was where she lived. Having never been in the human world, the sights and sounds were new to both Natsuko and Rin. She then remembered her river, the one that had been destroyed by humans. Tears slowly fell out of her eyes as she thought of her river, the peaceful azure waters and the gentle sounds of rushing water. Rin, noticing that she was crying, tired to calm her sad friend.

When her parent's didn't notice, Chihiro took a bag full of things to give to her friends and walked outside. Quickly finding the hiding spot she gave her friends the things she promised. They were glad to receive them and thanked her. Chihiro smiled and walked back home, her parents didn't notice that she had been missing. Her homework sat on her desk, waiting to be turned in to the teacher the next day. Chihiro sighed and went to sleep.

_She saw Haku, bleeding and weak, alone in a locked room. No one noticed that he was there, his eyes were closed. The moonlight shined on the weak boy, and he stirred. _"Chihiro," _he whispered, _"Chihiro I'm coming, Chihiro." _He seemed to be having a nightmare, his eyes suddenly opened. He struggled to get into a sitting position and when he did, he nearly collapsed. His jade eyes darted frantically around him; he winced at the pain as he gingerly touched one of his wounds. He looked around him, for a second dazed and confused and then he remembered her. _"Chihiro," _Haku looked around, but there was no sign of her. His eyes searched the room for something familiar, and then remembered the events the day before. The Evil One, the drain of his powers, Natsuko, and finally the quest Rin agreed to take. He had no idea where he was, no idea of how to get to her, no idea of how to help. The moon simmered and glistened and he looked up, the stars twinkled at him and the moon looked down at him. Haku smiled, and then thoughts of his beloved filled his mind, thoughts of Chihiro when she first came to Spirit World, thoughts of Chihiro when they first flew, and then finally he remembered the promise he made to her. The promise that he would meet her one day, tired he collapsed and fell back asleep. _


	3. Broken Gates

Chapter Three: Broken Gates

Chihiro yawned as she woke up, she had been dreaming about Haku again. Sighing she got up and dressed, her friend Keiko was waiting for her. They walked silently to school, nether one saying anything. A chilly wind blew through the trees, despite the fact that it was mid-summer. The events of the day before filled her mind as someone blocked their path. "Hey Chihiro," greeted a boy around their age, "how's it going?"

"That's none of your business!" Chihiro screamed and walked forward. The boy continued to block her path.

"Something wrong Chihiro?" the boy sneered. "Wow, I thought that you would enjoy a little company on your way to school."

"My company is enough," Keiko shouted, "now leave us alone!"

"I will once Chihiro agrees to let me accompany her to school today." The boy said. Chihiro shook her head and grabbed her friend's hand; they ran past the boy before he had a chance to stop him.

"Maybe you should be quicker next time!" Chihiro shouted back at the gapping boy. She and Keiko giggled as they walked to school, a few other classmates greeted Chihiro and Keiko and they would wave back. As they walked inside the school, Chihiro thought of Haku and shook her head. A single tear fell out of her eyes but it was quickly wiped away before anyone noticed.

Rin and Natsuko were munching on some of the food that Chihiro had left for them the day before. The weather was as chilly as the day before and they were tense from fear and worry. Natsuko had seen Chihiro leave with a girl and a boy had blocked their way. She prepared to put a spell on the boy that would make him freeze, but luckily the girls were able to get past the boy before she did. After all, she had heard what he said and it made her very angry. Thoughts of Haku filled her mind, thoughts of when they were still young river spirits, and thoughts of what had happened only a few days before. She missed him and wanted to get back as soon as possible. "You seem quiet Natsuko is something wrong?" Rin asked her friend.

"What no I was just thinking about something." Natsuko replied.

"Are you sure? You seem quite sad."

"No I am fine, don't worry about me Rin."

"If you're sure Natsuko…" Rin was worried about her friend. She wisely decided not to talk about it anymore because it seemed to make her friend sad.

No one noticed the young spirit walking through the gate that separated the Human World and the Spirit World. He knew something was wrong though, it shouldn't be this easy to access the Human World, but he was curious and continued on. He soon approached a large building, curious he walked inside. Chihiro was listening to the teacher, bored she looked outside she thought she could see someone enter the building, but it turned out to be her imagination. The spirit approached Chihiro's classroom, and opened the door. The teacher was surprised to see a young man of about 13-years of age there looking at the room. "Are you lost?" she asked him.

He looked nervously at the teacher and replied, "No, I was just looking."

"Who are you looking for?"

"Chihiro," the spirit replied, "I need to see her." Keiko looked at Chihiro in surprise; Chihiro was also quite surprised she had never seen this person before.

The teacher nodded, "Chihiro you are excused." Shocked Chihiro got up and walked to the person, he looked surprised.

"I didn't mean that," he started to stammer, "I never thought that she was here."

"I see," the teacher said curiously, "were you looking for someone else?"

"I just never thought that she was real I only thought that she was a legend or a myth that Haku made up."

"You know Haku?" Chihiro looked at the spirit.

"Yes, I do."

"What do you mean that you thought that she was only a legend or myth?" the teacher asked quizzically, "If you asked to see her then you must of known that she was real."

"I was kidding," the spirit said. Nervous he started to change into a dragon, just then Rin and Natsuko arrived. He stopped and turned around to face them.

"Yoshiro," Natsuko hissed, "I think we better leave these kind people in peace. I don't think your brother Haku would want to you disturb Chihiro if she has something important she needs to do." Yoshiro looked at her in astonishment, Natsuko never ventured out of the Spirit World, he didn't expect her to come.

"Yoshiro," Chihiro whispered, "you're Haku's brother?" Yoshiro nodded and looked outside the window. Lighting flashed across the dark sky and thunder shook the building, it started to rain. Light at first but steadily growing harder, wind whistled across the earth and the spirits knew something was wrong. The spirits ran out of the building and the teacher looked at the class. The sudden interruption had startled the class and she continued to teach the class despite the weather outside. Soon school was over and everyone looked outside, it was still raining too hard to walk home, meaning that everyone would have to take the bus home.

"Who's Haku?" Keiko finally asked her friend. "Do you have a boyfriend that I don't know about?"

"Haku," Chihiro lied, "who are you talking about? I don't know anyone named Haku."

Keiko giggled, "You asked that guy if he knew Haku when he mentioned him."

"I had a friend named Haku," Chihiro quickly lied, "he drowned in this river."

"So why was the Evil One chasing her," Yoshiro asked Rin, "I don't get it."

"She's the…" Rin hesitated and looked up at Yoshiro; she didn't want to say because she was fearful that someone might overhear her.

"She's what Rin," Yoshiro glared at her, "what's so special about her?"

"The dragon that could control all elements, that's why she was being chased by the Evil One."

Yoshiro starred at her and then at Chihiro, awed and amazed. Speechless, he walked over to Chihiro and bowed in front of her, some people thought that he was crazy but Rin knew otherwise. She smiled as he walked towards her. Keiko looked at Yoshiro for a second and then looked away blushing. Chihiro, noticing her friend's reaction, shook her head she felt exactly the same way about Haku. Tears started to fall out of her eyes as she thought of him. The bus soon arrived and Chihiro, Keiko, and a few others bored it.

Chihiro starred outside the window of the bus, the rain was stopping, and she smiled. It would now be easier for her friends to get back to the hiding spot in the woods. She wondered about Haku and how he was doing, she thought about the dream that she had.

Keiko quickly noticed that she was crying, "What's wrong Chihiro?"

"Nothing," Chihiro replied, "I was just thinking about something."

"It has to be something," her friend replied, "you're crying. What are you thinking about?"

"Stuff, don't worry about me I'll be fine." The tears stopped streaming out of her eyes and she smiled.

"It you're sure then." Keiko looked at Chihiro, worried; Chihiro thought that she could see two squiggly lines in the air. She realized that it must be Yoshiro and Natusko flying towards their hiding spot in the woods, she prayed that no one would notice them. As the bus stopped and Chihiro walked back slowly to her house, a spirit watched her.

Zeniba had followed Yoshiro when he walked through the gate, and she knew that something was wrong. She had come here to warn Chihiro that the gates were weakening and would slowly break. She soon spotted Yoshiro and Natsuko landing, quickly running over to them she quietly told the bad news, "The gates are weakened, soon they will break and the two worlds will soon be aware of each other. Yoshiro, you were not the first spirit to set foot on this land when the gates started to break, the Evil One was."

Rin looked at Zeniba, shocked, "If the gates are breaking, then doesn't that mean that the gods and the Spirit World are being somehow weakened? Oh no, the Evil One must of taken over control of the Spirit World, and if he's here in the Human World and the gates are breaking then that means that the Human World will fall to him soon! We must stop him!"

"How are we supposed to do that?" Yoshiro rebuked Rin. "No one, spirit or human, has ever defeated the Evil One except for the dragon who could control all elements, the dragon of nature."

"Yes, and we know who that dragon is." Zeniba looked at her, awestruck.

"You know who the dragon is?" Zeniba asked her. "Who is it tell me!"

"You know her, its Chihiro. We just found out."

"Chihiro, you mean that Chihiro is the dragon of nature!" Rin nodded and Zeniba was amazed. Yoshiro thought about what Zeniba had just told them, that the gates between the worlds were breaking. He knew that the effects could be disastrous and hoped that they would be able to stop the Evil One soon.

Chihiro walked inside her house and was surprised to see that her friends were there. Zeniba and Rin seemed to be talking about something while Yoshiro and Natsuko were looking around the house. "Oh you're home Chihiro," her mother greeted her, "some people came by asking to see you; they said it was important and had something to do about a dragon that could control all elements. It was still raining quite hard outside so I asked them to come inside."

Her father was fuming with anger. "You're mother let perfect strangers into the house." He quickly explained.

"Well," her mother said, "they knew Chihiro."

"How do you know that they weren't planning to kill her?"

"Please sir we assure you we won't harm your daughter." Yoshiro said bowing. "We owe her much for she saved my brother Haku's life."

"Then don't kill her!" her father roared in anger.

"We weren't planning to kill her." Rin muttered to Natsuko. "I wonder if all humans act as crazy as this when a stranger enters their home." Natsuko nodded slightly to show her agreement, so slightly in fact that Rin wondered if she had imagined it. Chihiro's father looked at her and she bowed, along with Natsuko in case he had noticed that she had nodded.

Making sure that Chihiro's parents had left the room Zeniba told her, "Chihiro, I have bad news. It doesn't have anything to do with Haku rather with the Spirit and the Human world. The gates are weakening and soon they will break, meaning that there will be no difference between the Human and Spirit Worlds. While you may not think it is bad we do, this is why. If the gates are breaking then it means that the Evil One has taken over the Spirit World and will soon take over the Human World, we are all in terrible danger."

"I never knew that," Chihiro replied, "I didn't think that if the gates are weakening that both worlds are being taken over by the Evil One. Why do they do that? Is there something else I might have to worry about if the gates break?"

"Unfortunately yes," Natsuko said cautiously, "there is something else you might have to worry about. Humans seem to attack or kill anything they are afraid of, meaning if they see spirits roaming around; they may try to develop weapons that can kill spirits such as us. The gates break because there is no difference between the worlds; both worlds are controlled in different ways. If a spirit or human gains control of both worlds, the gates will break. After the gates break the border between the two worlds will weaken, and will soon disappear. There are reasons why humans and spirits were kept apart and one of them is that so both worlds can not be controlled by the same spirit or human."

"Then how did the Evil One gain access to the Human World? Isn't supposed to be extremely difficult to gain access to the other world?"

"True it is difficult but it is not impossible. The difficulty is there to try to deter whoever is trying to pass through the gate from actually passing through. Though the gate in the Human World is generally easier to pass through, it is still hard to get through to the Spirit World. It is very rare for a spirit in the Spirit World to meet a human. I suppose the Evil One was able to gain access to the Human World after he somehow gained control of the Spirit World, though I am not aware of it. Perhaps he was determined enough to pass through, although difficult the gate will eventually give up and let you pass." Zeniba told her.

"I see, so um is it now possible for others to pass through the gate?"

"It always has been, though I wouldn't recommend it now. The gate may not be too stable as it is breaking, and if too many pass through the border the border itself will also collapse. By then it may be too late to repair the damage and the worlds may never be separate again."

"I see Zeniba," Chihiro said, "I just wanted to see Haku."

Zeniba smiled, "I will be returning to Spirit World soon, if you want me to I can bring Haku with me when I come back."

"Yes, please do!"

"Alright then, I should leave now as I am afraid if I stay here too long it will be hard for me to return to the Spirit World." She left; Yoshiro looked Chihiro who was now blushing.


	4. The Dragon's Escape

Chapter Four: The Dragon's Escape

The sun found Haku on the floor, thinking about Chihiro. His eyes were shut tight as another spirit opened the door. Hesitant the spirit whispered into his ears, "Haku, are you okay?" Haku nodded, he didn't want anyone to know that he had recovered from the power drain, and had managed to save a bit of his magic.

Kamajii smiled and then said quietly, "I will help aid in your escape, Zeniba has returned to the Spirit World and has something important she says she needs to tell you. Go talk to her, she also offered to take you to the Human World to meet Chihiro if you wanted to." Haku opened his eyes at the sound of "Chihiro" and nodded. He pulled himself into a sitting position.

"She said that she would take me to see Chihiro?" Haku asked the eight-legged spirit.

"Yes," Kamajii replied, "she promised as long as you were willing to listen to what she had to say."

"I am." Haku started to change into his dragon form.

"Not yet! First hurry and put on these clothes, don't change until we get outside and I tell you to." Haku nodded and carefully followed Kamajii's instructions. Quietly walking down the halls and towards the entrance, Haku looked around. It was colder and some of the bath attendants were missing, presumably dead. There were dark spirits wandering around the halls of the bathhouse and they avoided them, they soon neared the entrance. The Evil One stood there, talking with some of his henchmen, hiding in a place where they could not be seen and waited until the entrance was empty. When it was they dashed outdoors and into the chilly weather outside. Shivering a bit they headed into the gardens where the flowers were covered with snow and frost.

"You can change now Haku," Kamajii said, "There's no one here." Haku nodded and thanked him before changing into his dragon form. He flew higher into the air until he was no more than a spec and flew towards Zeniba's cabin. The air was a bit chilly but the flight was enjoyable, the train was directly below him. He soon found himself relaxing and thinking about Chihiro. He wondered if she still looked the same, but quickly reminded himself that she didn't.

There were a few clouds in the air, but Haku expertly dodged those and soon landed at Zeniba's cabin. No-face, unsure of who was outside, came out to greet him. He let out a few happy "Ah's" and Haku snorted. Quickly changing back into the form of a 12-year-old boy, Zeniba soon walked outside and noticed Haku.

"Welcome Haku," Zeniba greeted him, "please come inside, it's very chilly out there." Haku nodded and bowed in front of the witch.

"You don't have to do that Haku." Zeniba said as he walked inside. Haku sat down at the table and Zeniba sat down across from him. He noticed that there was a cup of tea in front of him; Zeniba sipped the tea in her cup. Noticing that he wasn't drinking the tea she said, "Please I insist, is there something wrong with your tea?"

Haku shook his head, "What did you want to tell me Zeniba."

Zeniba sighed, "It's about Chihiro, and it also has something to do with the Evil One. You see, the Evil One has taken over both the Spirit World and the Human World the gates that separated both have been crumbling and are now gone. The border between both worlds is now gone, as we speak hundreds of spirits and humans are now crossing the border to go to the other world, chaos is everywhere. Your brother, Yoshiro, is currently on the other side with Rin and Natsuko; I followed him and was able to meet up with Chihiro. She fainted when I told her about the gates but she is fine now, I also have something I want to tell you about her. There is a reason why the Evil One is chasing her; she is the Dragon of Nature. You know the dragon that could control all elements the one that defeated the Evil One many centuries ago."

"Not possible," Haku gasped, surprised, "she never used magic in the Spirit World while she was here and she never changed into a dragon before. "

Zeniba nodded and replied, "I thought the same thing when I heard, but it's true. The Evil One told her, Natsuko, and Rin when they first met him."

"Then she must be the Dragon of Nature, but I thought he was…"

"Killed, yes he was, but it seems that somehow he managed to pass his powers on."

"Then she is somehow a descendent of him."

"Perhaps, there are maidens that fall in love with dragons, just as there are dragons that fall in love with maidens." Zeniba laughed, Haku looked away uneasily because he knew that she was also referring to him and Chihiro. His tea had now cooled a bit so he sipped some of it.

"You mentioned that you would take me to Chihiro if I wanted to," Haku said, "could you please take me to her then?"

"Yes, but not now it is still quite dangerous, I will tell you when we can leave." Zeniba said. Haku sighed, but didn't complain he realized the danger of going across the border, and he knew that it was even more dangerous now that he had escaped. Looking out the window he thought about Chihiro, memories of her previous visit filled her mind; he remembered his promise to see her again.

_I am coming Chihiro, I am coming! _

He thought to himself, Zeniba watched the boy look outside. She wondered what he was thinking about, No-face walked towards her, "What is it?"

"Ah ah, aah." He told her.

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Zeniba told him. "I never really thought of it, but now that I think of it you're right."

"Ah, aah ah ah ahh."

"I'll tell him now then No-face. Haku, No-face just told me a brilliant idea. If the border is broken then you should have no problem in flying over to the Human World."

"You're right, but what about you? You can't fly."

"You'll carry me to the Human World, but I do admit this plan has its own particular risks. You must be careful about when you fly, I am sure that there are other dragons who will be flying towards the Human World, perhaps by accident or out of curiosity. Be careful though, fly when no one notices you; don't fly when there are henchmen around as they will try to stop you."

"I was just going to ask about the risks of this journey," Haku told him, "but you're right, despite its risks we should try it out." He smiled and thought of Chihiro, he wondered just how she would look different but didn't dare ask. Haku walked outside and Zeniba followed him and watched as he changed into a dragon.

She quickly mounted him, "No-face, please take care of the cabin while I am away!"

"Ah ah!" No-face assured her. Zeniba nodded and they quickly flew away in the direction of the gate. As when he first flew to Zeniba's cabin Haku quickly found the flight enjoyable. The sky was filled with silky clouds and the view from the sky was breath-taking. As they edged closer and closer to the border, a small stream of spirits heading in the same direction as they were quickly became a large crowd. Zeniba frowned and Haku snorted with apprehension, he thought to himself about what he saw.

_So many spirits headed in the same direction, this isn't good! Yoshiro, you must have started all of this how could you? I would expect some other foolish spirit to start such a large and dangerous migration, not my own brother!_

Haku grew more worried when he saw some humans mixed in with the spirits, he hoped that there were still spirits left in Spirit World that would be wise enough to stay away from the border and not go to the Human World. The gate though was indeed broken, the building that housed the gate was now crumbling and some of the walls had collapsed, it was hard for him to believe that such a ruin had once housed a gate that controlled those who could exit and enter both the Spirit World and the Human World. Both spirits and humans alike were gingerly stepping over the ruble and onto the other side, as Zeniba had predicted there were also a few dragons that were also flying towards the gate.

Haku snorted as one dragon flew towards them; he quickly flew to the side to avoid collision. A large, translucent wall was all that was left of the gate, it stretched for miles and miles and Haku knew that it had to be the border. "It's worst than I thought," Zeniba quickly told Haku, "it was better when your brother first entered the Human World, at least it wasn't this crowded, the wall was also stronger. I could feel a force of resistance as I walked through. I suppose that those who walk through the border don't even feel that now, the way they are walking through so easily. I had to struggle a bit to get to the other side."

Haku looked around him in surprise and fear, he remembered the warnings that Zeniba gave him before flying through the border. To their immense surprise, the border parted a bit to allow them to pass. Zeniba looked at him and shock and said, "That's not supposed to happen, the border has weakened too much. We must already be too late; the Evil One now has control of both worlds." Haku snorted in fear and low fearful noises came out of his throat. Zeniba knew that he was scarred and tried her best to calm him.

Yoshiro looked up and was surprised to see a dragon flying in their direction, "Natsuko, Rin look, there's a dragon behind you two!" Natsuko and Rin looked behind them and saw Haku landing. Zeniba leaped off of Haku's back and he quickly changed back into his human form not knowing what Chihiro would look like, worried that he might not recognize her. Chihiro happened to arrive at that very moment, and Haku starred at her in shock. She bore little resemblance to the Chihiro that was trapped in the Spirit World before with her parents.

Chihiro shouted with surprise when she saw him, "Haku I am so glad that you are here!"

"I promised that we would meet each other again," Haku walked towards her his jade eyes glittering with delight, "didn't I?"

"You did, I am so glad that you came." Keiko gasped when he saw Haku; she had been spying on her friend when she had given a strange reply to her question. She wanted to find out who this Haku really was.

Haku frowned and whispered quietly into Chihiro's ears, "You're being followed." He starred at her. Chihiro looked around wildly and soon spotted Keiko, hiding among the trees giggling.

Frowning she shouted, "Keiko, what are you doing here?"

Her friend walked sheepishly out of the bushes and lied, "I was just taking a walk in the forest when I head voices, I was curious so I followed them and it lead me here."

Chihiro sighed, "Keiko you live three miles from the forest, usually you wouldn't want to walk that far. What's so special about today that you would want to?"

"Well there was that kid, I think his name was Yoshiro, that appeared today at school who said that he couldn't believe that you were a real person." Keiko pointed out. "Then there were those two women who dragged him out and then there was that horrible storm."

"Yoshiro appeared in your school today?" Haku asked. His jade eyes wandered towards his younger brother and wondered what trouble he had caused.

"Yes he did he asked for Chihiro and interrupted class, the teacher was pretty frustrated when he left because he didn't need Chihiro or anything."

"I assure you it won't happen again," Haku told her friend. He sighed and starred at his younger brother. Yoshiro was trying to avoid his brother's angry gaze. Chihiro looked at the two siblings, amused; she knew that Yoshiro was Haku's younger brother.

"I didn't mean too," Yoshiro tried to explain, "they startled me when they asked me who I was looking for so I had to think of someone's name, I just happened to think of Chihiro from the stories I heard."

"Yoshiro," Haku retorted, "why are you even in the Human World? I am quite sure I told you not to cross the gate."

"I am sorry Haku."

"So you're the Haku that Chihiro mentioned." Keiko suddenly interrupted with a gleam in her eyes. "Well I am going to tell everyone about Chihiro's boyfriend."

Haku, who didn't want his presence to be known, stopped her before she could walk any further. Keiko tried to push him aside, but he wouldn't budge. She tried to go around him, but Haku would only block her way. Angry, she tried to push him aside again. "Stop it Keiko," cried Chihiro, "I thought you were my friend." Tears started to fall out of her eyes, and Keiko stopped what she was doing.

"I am Chihiro," Keiko replied sympathetically, "I promise, I won't tell anyone about Haku." Chihiro nodded and quickly wiped away her tears.


	5. Decisions

Chapter Five: Decisions

"It's getting quite crowded here," Rin muttered, "I don't think that Haku is going to be able to fit comfortably here."

"True," Zeniba said, "Chihiro I think your hiding spot is getting too crowded, Rin has been complaining about it for a while now. I think we must decide upon places where people can stay."

"I could stay with Chihiro," Haku mused, "maybe someone else could also stay with me." Chihiro blushed at the thought.

"I'll stay with you two," Rin quickly offered, "it's better than sleeping in this crowded hiding spot anyway!"

"Okay then," Chihiro said, "Rin and Haku will stay with me. I think that a third person would probably fit, anyone else want to stay with me?"

"Someone could stay with me if they wanted too," Keiko admitted, "don't worry I won't tell anyone about you guys."

"I think I will stay with Chihiro," Natsuko said, "I don't want Rin getting into any trouble at your house. Beside I think Rin might enjoy the company."

"Then I'll stay with Keiko," Yoshiro grumbled, "I am sure that if too many people stay with Chihiro it will get crowded and I know that you would hate that Rin." Keiko blushed and grinned, Chihiro could tell that she wanted Yoshiro to stay with her.

"Humph then I'll stay with Keiko so that I can make sure that she won't tell anyone." Zeniba told everyone.

Chihiro nodded, "Then it's settled Haku, Rin, and Natusko will stay with me while Yoshiro and Zeniba will stay with Keiko. Please don't let anyone see you, please hide if you see anyone coming. We'll call out your names if we are coming so you'll know it's us." The spirits nodded, and Chihiro smiled.

"I think we should leave now," Keiko said looking around them, "it's going to be dark soon and I am sure our parents would get worried if we stay for too long."

"Chihiro, where are you?" the sound of her mother's voice startled Chihiro for a second.

"I thought so, we should leave now bye Chihiro!" Yoshiro and Zeniba followed her as she left towards her home.

"Bye Keiko!" Chihiro cried out. Haku, Rin, and Natsuko followed her as they headed towards Chihiro's house.

"Please don't say anything," Chihiro begged her friends, "I'll show you a spot where you can hide, don't come inside until I tell you too okay?" Her friends quickly nodded, Chihiro showed them the hiding spot behind the maple tree in their front yard. She walked inside her house, smiling. Her mother and father smiled when they saw her.

Her mother had just finished dinner, as they sat down to eat her mother said, "I wonder what happened to those friends of yours, they left so quickly. I hope they don't live too far away."

"I am sure they will be fine," Chihiro assured her mother, "they don't live too far away."

_In fact they are currently living right here._

She thought to herself, her father though was frowning at the thought of her friends. "I still don't approve of letting them in," he said, "after all Chihiro has never mentioned them." Her mother only shook her head.

As night steadily approached and her parents were fast asleep, Chihiro quickly let her friends inside the building. "Try not to make any noise," Chihiro hissed, "it might alert my parents that you are here and we do not want that. I'll try to get something for you guys to eat as soon as I can. I don't think my bedroom is going to be able to fit so many people so ether up to two of you will have to sleep in the living room. Try to wake up before my parents do and hide so they won't notice you, don't make a mess ether or they will get suspicious."

Rin and Natsuko looked at each other and replied, "We'll sleep in the living room!"

"Shh, be quiet! Okay I guess then Haku will sleep with me in my room." Haku looked at her for a second and the small group of friends entered the house. Quietly Chihiro slipped into the kitchen and grabbed some snacks for her friends to eat. Natusko and Rin quietly accepted the food and were soon sleeping soundly in the living room.

Haku followed her to her room where she handed him some food. He thanked her quietly before accepting and eating the food. Chihiro closed her window as it still was quite chilly outside. They didn't say anything, but both were quite sure that Rin and Natsuko asked to sleep in the living room so that they could sleep together. "It was clever of them to both agree to sleep in the living room so that we could sleep together in my room." Chihiro finally said, voicing their thoughts and breaking the silence that had enveloped around them.

"It was," Haku agreed, "you've grown Chihiro."

Chihiro nodded, she didn't want to say anything. The stars glittered and the bright moon was thinly covered by dark silky clouds. Somewhere out in the darkness, an owl hooted and swooped down on its unsuspecting prey. An awkward silence had once again enveloped them, nether one saying anything to break it.

"I wonder how Yoshiro and Zeniba are doing at Keiko's house." Chihiro finally said.

"I am sure that they are fine." Haku absently replied. Chihiro nodded and closed her eyes, she soon fell asleep. Haku smiled, but for some reason he couldn't sleep. Quietly he got up and walked towards the living room. Natsuko seemed to feel the same way, unable to sleep.

"It's strange," she told him, "it's like I fell something is going to happen soon, but I do not know when or what is going to happen."

"I wonder if Yoshiro feels the same way," Haku said, "I certainly feel the same way. I wonder what's going to happen." Natsuko nodded, they quickly walked outside and changed into their dragon forms, they soon saw a silvery dragon with a dark forest green mane headed for them. Its dark emerald green eyes seemed to be worried about something. It landed on the ground with a muffled thump, Natsuko and Haku could immediately tell that he also felt the same way they did. Together they flew in the direction of the gate, even though it was quite late there were still many people walking through the gate. They were also very surprised to see that a number of other dragons had also gathered there. They seemed to be waiting for something although what it is they didn't know. Suddenly, the people stopped and Haku could see his friends among those in the crowd.

There was much confusion as no one knew why they were there. A large black storm cloud suddenly headed their way from the Spirit World, and everyone started to grow worried. Suddenly in the middle of the crowd a dragon flew upwards into the sky. It had a golden mane and a light bluish body its horns were a creamy color. A gold aura surrounded it, it snorted when it saw the black clouds. Anger seemed to lace its dark brown eyes. It surged forward into the oncoming storm; all of the dragons followed it. As it passed over the large mass of spirits and humans they bowed and cheered the young dragon.

Natsuko snorted in surprise, she knew who the dragon is. Unable to talk in her dragon form she nudged Haku and pointed her snout towards the dragon. Haku though shook his head unable to understand what Natsuko was trying to say. She growled in frustration and shook her head. Sighing he followed the large crowd of dragons.

Happy thoughts filled Chihiro's mind, she had finally turned into a dragon. Instinct told her that the Evil One was located in the large storm cloud. When the cloud stopped moving towards them, she stopped as did the legion of dragons that had followed her. It grew larger and larger, lightning bolts streaked it, the wind grew stronger and howled warnings towards her. Undaunted she flew closer and closer towards the cloud. Evil laughter filled the air and a voice reached her ears, "Do you really think that you can defeat me young dragon? Do you really think that you shall win? I think not!"

Chihiro snarled, and the Evil One laughed, "Then try to defeat me, you shall never succeed!" Chihiro growled at the dark cloud, her alabaster teeth gleaming in the moonlight.

Haku looked at the dragon curiously. He somehow knew the dragon although he had never seen or meet this particular dragon before. He thought of Chihiro and wondered if she was sleeping well, the noise caused by both the dragon and the Evil One was enough to wake anyone up.

A fiery blaze encircled the dragon as she prepared to use magic against her opponent. Chihiro laughed at the Evil One, with a flick of her tail the fireball shot itself towards the cloud. Streaking it with ruby flames, the Evil One though suffered no damage, "Is that the best that you can do? You will have to try harder than that if you want to defeat me."

Chihiro shook her head, her eyes challenging her opponent; little did he know that she had more than a few tricks up her sleeve. "As you wish my young dragon," the Evil One sneered, "be warned though this is much more powerful than anything you could ever do." A dark ball of wind and snow was shot at Chihiro, she growled at the ball and a silver shield of light appeared, blocking the ball from striking her. The ball dispersed and snow fell harmlessly towards the earth.

Haku looked at the dragon with amazement; he did not expect her to be able to use such a powerful spell. It had taken him many years to master the same spell yet she had mastered it on her first try. Natsuko grinned; her friend seemed quite impressed with the dragon.

The Evil One though was just as amazed. He snarled, "So you were able to destroy my spell with one of yours. You are more powerful than I thought, but no matter for your powers will soon be mine!" Large fiery streams were aimed at Chihiro, but she dodged them expertly and destroyed the spell with one of hers. She snorted and growled at the Evil One, he simply looked at her, amused.

Chihiro eyed the Evil One cautiously, a large ball of wind and water gathered in front of her and she aimed it at the Evil One with little difficulty. Breaking through the cloud it hit the Evil One before he had a chance to defend himself. Severely weakened, he left and Chihiro smiled. Tried she flew back towards the gate and her own world. The dragons parted to let her pass; Haku looked at her with great interest. He flew back towards Chihiro's house with Natsuko and they changed back into their human forms before walking inside. Haku was glad to see that Chihiro was fast asleep, he too was soon asleep.

It was still dark outside when Haku woke up; noises from Chihiro's parent's room alerted him that he and his friends needed to hide. Quietly waking his friends they hid in Chihiro's closet and hoped that they would not be seen. Chihiro stirred a little bit at the noise, but did not wake. Her alarm suddenly went off startling the three spirits. They were not used to such a loud noise, Chihiro groaned and quickly turned the alarm clock off. She yawned, and quickly got dressed. School would be over soon, just two more days before summer vacation. Then she would be headed for college, quickly eating her breakfast she soon walked outside Keiko was waiting for her as usual and together they headed towards school. Her parents were soon seen leaving for work. "Finally they left." Rin said, exuberant. They quickly opened the closet door and walked out.

Rin decided to explore the house, but Natsuko went with her in case she caused any trouble. Haku decided to follow them as there seemed nothing else to do. He thought about the dragon that he had seen the night before and remembered that Natsuko was trying to tell him something.

"Last night what did you want to tell me?" he asked her.

"Well I was going to tell you that…" Natsuko hesitated, "I'll tell you later, perhaps after you met the dragon."

Haku starred at her, thoughtful, he wondered what Natsuko wanted to tell him. They quickly found a note on top of Chihiro's dresser.

"Don't worry," Haku read, "I'll be back. Be warned though, my parents come back before I do. Feel free to go to the woods, Yoshiro and Zeniba should be there, Keiko told them how to get to the woods from her house. I left some food in a hiding spot in case you got hungry, hopefully the bird and the squirrels didn't run away with it." Rin grinned and together they walked to the woods, Zeniba and Yoshiro were already there chatting about something. Between them there was a plate with some cookies on it.

Yoshiro smiled when he saw his brother, "Hi Haku, we were just talking about Chihiro."

"Why are you talking about her?" Haku asked, curious.

"Well she did change into a dragon last night; you know that dragon that we saw fighting the Evil One that was Chihiro." Haku looked at Natsuko who nodded.

Zeniba chuckled, "I see that you didn't figure it out, but it's true Chihiro changed into a dragon yesterday and fought the Evil One."

"Well now I know," he replied. He thought of Chihiro and frowned, she was now in more danger than ever.


	6. Surprise at School

Chapter Six: Surprise at School

Chihiro looked at the teacher as she taught math. Math was not her favorite subject and she found it quite boring. Her eyes, which had been shining with delight the night before when she first changed into a dragon, were now dull black orbs. She hadn't told anyone that she had changed into a dragon. As the lesson dragged on, Chihiro felt that a presence was watching her. A presence that shouldn't be there, she quickly dismissed the thought.

Keiko listened attentively to the teacher and took careful notes. She nudged Chihiro when she saw her friend hadn't written anything down. Chihiro nodded and took some notes; the presence seemed to edge closer and closer to her. She felt worried and tense as if waiting for something, an attack that was soon to come.

"Come closer little one," Chihiro thought she heard something whisper, "I have something I want to show you." Her eyes fearful she slowly looked behind her but saw nothing. Chiding herself for being so afraid she paid close attention to her teacher's lesson.

"Is something wrong?" Keiko asked her friend, worried. Chihiro shook her head and flinched when she felt something clammy brush across her hand. Dark blood lined her hand and she starred in fear, Keiko gasped when she saw the blood.

"Is there something wrong you two?" the teacher asked them and quickly walked over to the two friends.

"Chihiro is bleeding." Keiko quickly explained and the teacher nodded, Chihiro was excused to the nurse's office. The nurse quickly wiped the blood off of her hand and put a bandage on the large gash that had developed. As she walked back to her classroom, she saw dark shadows on the walls, shadows that seemed to surround the halls with perpetual darkness. As she walked into her classroom and sat down the lights went out suddenly.

People started to scream in fear as a voice was heard, "Give me the dragon; hand her to me." Chihiro shivered in fear, she knew that the voice was talking about her.

"What dragon?" the teacher quivered. "There isn't a dragon in the school." The dark voice started to laugh and Chihiro immediately recognized it as the Evil One.

"There is even though you don't know it." He sneered. "I can sense her presence within this building, one of my henchmen marked her with her own blood." Keiko and the rest of her class starred at Chihiro, who was trying to locate where the voice was coming from.

"You're a dragon?" Keiko asked her. Chihiro quickly nodded and looked around; shadows seemed to move across the walls surrounding them. The doors to all of the classrooms suddenly were locked, unable to be opened.

"Hand me the dragon and you will be set free or face a painful death trying to protect her!" The Evil One shouted. Chihiro thought for a moment, she knew it was risky but she quickly transformed into her dragon form. Her long serpent body took up much of the space in the classroom; she snorted and pointed to the window concentrating. The windows of the school immediately shattered and she flew outside. Keiko quickly climbed aboard her friend as did the rest of her class and the teacher, and she flew to the ground and carefully landed. Everyone climbed off of her and Chihiro made several more trips to the building saving as many people as she could.

A dark cloud hovered above the school and dark mist surrounded it, lighting struck the school and a fire quickly started. Haku quickly spotted the fire and changed into his dragon form along with Natsuko and Yoshiro, their friends climbed aboard them. They quickly flew to the school and saw Chihiro on the ground, Rin and Zeniba quickly climbed off of the dragons. The four dragons quickly summoned water to put the fire out, large amounts of steam rose to the air as they poured gallons of water over the ruby flames. Chihiro walked over to Haku and snorted in fear, he nodded and watched as fire trucks quickly surrounded the school, the firefighters were surprised to see that the fire had been put out. The dragons quickly changed back into their human forms before anyone noticed them. Haku, Yoshiro, and Natsuko all looked to be around 17 years of age and Chihiro grinned.

In the chaos that followed as the mist started to snake around the building creating more fires, Keiko quickly ran over to her friends. The firefighters starred at the mist in disbelief and tried to put out the fires to no avail. "Please do something;" Keiko begged her friends, "I am afraid that the fire will completely destroy the school." Haku nodded and started to summon water; Yoshiro stopped him and shook his head.

"Not yet," he whispered, "I'll tell you when." Haku nodded and stopped summoning water; Keiko walked up to Yoshiro and started to slap him. He caught her hand before she could; she yelled and stepped on his foot. Yoshiro winced and slapped her in the face, and left a stinging red mark on her left cheek. Chihiro stepped between the two before Keiko punched Yoshiro. The golden sun was completely covered by the dark clouds and a brisk wind blew through the area.

"Now you can summon water!" Yoshiro shouted above the howling wind. His friends nodded and summoned water to put out the fire, the chilly wind froze some of the water. A barrier of wind prevented the water from touching the fire. Chihiro summoned wind to break through the barrier and they tried again, the water never touched the flames. Chihiro quickly summoned both water and wind, and managed to put out some of the flames. She continued doing this until the fire was gone, she sighed.

Haku thought he saw something walk out of the building and nudged Natsuko. She nodded and they watched as the object walked towards the large crowd. "I know you are here young dragon," it hissed, "show yourself unless you want your beloved dead." Chihiro looked nervously at Haku, who stood in front of her.

Chihiro walked towards Haku, who tried to comfort her. "I know you have escaped Kohaku," The Evil One sneered, "but I also know that you are present. If you want to see your beloved alive, I suggest you reveal yourself Chihiro." Chihiro gasped and shook her head; Keiko looked nervously at the Evil One who was advancing closer and closer to her friend. The crowd parted to let him pass. Quickly she stood in front of her before the Evil One could see Chihiro.

"Stand aside," He barked at her, "unless you too want to die to protect your little friend!" Keiko refused to move, Chihiro carefully backed away from the Evil One. The wind howled in Keiko's ears as large storm approached the area. Lighting flashed across the skies creating intricate patterns of light. The Evil One laughed menacingly and prepared to strike Keiko.

Tears fell out of Chihiro's eyes as he summoned wind, Haku looked at her sympathetically. Zeniba whispered into Chihiro's ears, "Run away, I will protect Keiko, but you must run before he does the same thing to you!" Chihiro nodded and ran away; the Evil One looked at her angrily and started to chase her. Keiko gasped in horror and tried to block his way; the Evil One summoned a powerful spell and aimed it at her. She fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious and nearly dead.

Haku looked at the Evil One and quickly transformed into a dragon, foolishly thinking that he could prevent him from finding Chihiro. "You are still a very foolish dragon Haku and you will pay for that." The Evil One laughed and a lighting bolt struck Haku. He roared in pain before falling to the ground, weak and motionless. Anger filling his eyes Yoshiro changed into a dragon and attacked the Evil One. To his frustration he quickly dodged his attack.

"You are just as weak and foolish as your brother," he said to Yoshiro, "and like him you will pay dearly for that." A lighting bolt was aimed at Yoshiro, but he moved before it could hit him. He snorted, but another one hit him before he realized what was happening. He too fell to the ground, weak and unable to move. Natsuko looked at the two brothers and idea developing in her mind, she transformed into a dragon.

"You are making a mistake just like your friends." The Evil One told her. A lighting bolt was aimed at her. She carefully dodged it and others that were aimed at her, timing her attack perfectly she lashed out with her tail. It surprised the Evil One and was able to successfully whack him. She smiled smugly as he looked at her angrily. The Evil One turned around, and saw Chihiro running farther and farther away.

He smiled wickedly and ran after him, Natsuko snorted with surprise. Snarling at her opponent she chased him and tried to block his way. Several lighting bolts hit her and she fell to the ground, immobile and severely weakened. Chihiro stopped running and turned around to see three dragons on the ground unconscious among them was Haku, Keiko too was unconscious. Wiping away her tears she quickly turned into a dragon and faced the Evil One. A silvery shield of light surrounded her to protect her from any lighting that might hit her.

_I am ready._ She thought to herself and snarled angrily at the Evil One. Her sharp claws and fangs glittered and sparkled. Quite confident in herself Chihiro roared and her eyes sparkled with a deadly light. The Evil One looked at her, unmoved, and watched as she roared her challenge. Zeniba and Rin started to walk over to Keiko and the three unconscious dragons when a ball of bright light surrounded them and they were teleported to some unknown place. Rin shook her head and looked at the empty space were an unconscious Haku had once been she sighed, Chihiro looked the Evil One disbelief present in her eyes.

"Oh," he told her, "you'll see your precious friends again, but for now I thought it would be better if they went for a little trip." He laughed evilly, illuminated for a second by the lighting that cut through the clouds. Snow started to pelt her hide, gently at first and then harder and harder until it turned into a dangerous snowstorm. The wind blew the snow in every direction making it hard for Chihiro to see in front of her. She heard faint screams and headed towards the noise, faint shouts could also be heard masked by the wind. Sleet and rain filled the air above her she shivered both in fear and because she was quite cold. Determined she headed towards the screams, the Evil One roared in laughter at the pathetic dragon before him. Unable to see where she was going, she was blind and alone. The shield that she had created had faltered at the strength of the storm. She summoned another more powerful one to no avail, frustrated she hurled a ball of fire through the storm momentarily creating a path for her to follow. Rin narrowly dodged the ball and watched as it hissed through the storm only to be put out by the rain a few feet beyond her.

Zeniba groped around her, everything was so white and for a moment she thought she was blind. Chihiro snorted and soared into the air, and unknowingly flew towards Zeniba and Rin, they climbed onto her and she quickly flew away from the scene. They soon arrived at Chihiro's house and the three companions entered her home. Making sure all the windows were closed, she made some hot tea for herself and her friends to drink. Tears fell out of her eyes as she thought of Haku. "I am sure that he and the others will be fine." Zeniba tried to assure her. "They are stronger than you know."

"I am still worried about him though," Chihiro said, "I just hope that he'll be alright." Rin nodded and they looked outside, everything was pure white and it was impossible to see anything. Zeniba nodded, she too was worried about Haku and the others; she herself doubted that they would be alright when they met again.

"There is good reason to be," Rin said, "unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it. We could try to find them, but we have no clue as to where they may be, though the Spirit World would be a good place to look."

"It would be a good idea to search the Spirit World but it is dangerous." Zeniba told Rin and Chihiro, "The Evil One already controls it and his henchmen may have orders to stop us. True we may not know where to look, but we can think of places to look and places not to look. There are other reasons why we should go the Spirit World besides to look for our friends, I am sure that there are people who would want to know about your powers Chihiro. Don't worry they don't want to harm you or me or anyone else. That and I think it would be a good idea to train Chihiro how to use magic and such." Rin nodded in agreement and looked at Chihiro, who was busy writing a note.

"There all set," she told her friends, "the note said that I am going on a camping trip with Keiko, tomorrow's Sunday anyway and beside Keiko is missing; it should explain her absence for a while anyway. I just hope that no one will notice that I am missing." Zeniba and Rin nodded and they looked outside, the snow had stopped falling and had layered the ground with a sparkling layer of snow. The wind though made the outside environment nearly inhabitable, as she walked outside Chihiro quickly changed into her dragon form. Her feet sinking into the deep layer of snow, the winds blew the snow around creating large white hills. Chihiro snorted with impatience as Rin climbed on and Zeniba closed the door behind her before climbing onto her. Chihiro looked at the air and shook her head in disbelief at the conditions in which she would have to fly in. She leapt into the air and they flew towards the gate, the conditions still did not stop the mass of huddled bodies from crossing the border, Chihiro looked worried. The border was already severely weakened and in moments it collapsed altogether, the transparent wall gone, spirits and humans were now free to cross it and into the other world.

Chihiro shook her head and watched as a silvery dragon headed for her, for a second she thought it was Haku, but its ruby eyes and mane suggested otherwise. She shook her head and let it pass by her, as they crossed into the Spirit World it seemed to grow both chillier and windier. Zeniba looked around her and said, "I can see the train, follow it and it should lead you to the swamp." Chihiro nodded and looked below her following the moving silvery line that was the train. Smoke billowed up from it, creating a gray cloud against a background of white. They flew downwards when Rin spotted the house, and Chihiro landed with a soft thump as her feet sank into the delicate snow.

With a snort and a grunt Chihiro quickly changed back into her human form, following Zeniba and Rin as they walked into the small cabin. No-face happily greeted her, and she smiled. "It's good to be back," she sighed. Zeniba smiled and sat at the table, tired from the journey.

_I wonder where Haku is, I wonder if he is okay. Haku, I miss you so much. _She thought to herself, a small tear appearing out of the corner of her eye. It dropped to the ground and created a small liquid pool, another one quickly followed it, and another. Rin noticed that she was crying and walked over to her, "Are you worried about Haku? I am sure that he'll be fine."

"I am and I have a good reason to be." Chihiro stammered. "I am worried about what the Evil One could do to him, it worries me."

"I am sure it does, but crying won't make the situation any better, but if it helps you feel better go ahead. Don't worry about him Chihiro; we'll rescue him and the others as soon as we possibly can." Chihiro nodded at Rin and started to smile a bit.

"Thanks Rin, that makes me feel better. I hope we can rescue him soon."

"So do I Chihiro." She hugged her friend and walked away to help Zeniba prepare lunch, Chihiro looked out at the foreign landscape outside. She sighed and walked towards her friends who were busy making lunch.


	7. The Darkest Prision

Chapter Seven: The Darkest Prison

Although too weak to get up, Haku opened his eyes. He had been having nightmares about Chihiro and the Evil One. He strained to pull himself to a sitting position. "Don't move Haku," Keiko muttered, "you're too badly injured, stay still." He winced at the pain that was caused by his efforts and quickly stopped moving.

He looked around him and saw that he was alone in some sort of dungeon cell, Keiko happened to be in the cell directly across from him. Her face was bleeding and there were marks on her hand, he starred at her in horror. She shook her head and weakly whispered, "Their interrogations are pretty harsh if you ask me, they're currently interrogating Yoshiro, your brother." There was a scream and Haku winced. Guards soon arrived dragging a limp Yoshiro between them.

"It's your turn," one of them sneered at Haku. They opened the metal doors and Haku struggled to a standing position. The guards laughed as he limped through the dimly lit hallways towards a wooden door, he winced at the pain that every movement caused him, but he managed to walk into the room. Guards stood on ether side of him to make sure that he did not escape, a dark hooded figure stood in the room.

"I am glad to see that you could make it Kohaku," the figure told him, "it is a pleasure to finally meet you for the first time face-to-face. There are a few questions I would like to ask you about and all of them deal with your friend Chihiro. Don't pretend that you don't know her, your friend Keiko tried that and you can see for yourself what happened to her, don't pretend to play dumb ether your brother Yoshiro tried that and he is currently in his little cell, lying on the ground unconscious."

"I will tell you nothing!" Haku roared.

"Oh, but I have not even started to ask the questions. Why don't you listen to them first and decide for yourself. Are Rin and Zeniba with Chihiro?" Haku glanced at him, wishing that he was in his dragon form so that he could lash out with his tail.

"I said that I will say nothing."

"Wrong answer, guards whip him until he cries out for mercy." The guards sneer and obeyed; although Haku could not bleed he could still feel the stinging pain of the whips. His very essence seemed to falter from the pain and he could feel himself weakening.

Still determined to protect Chihiro he replied, "I will say nothing about the matter." The guards continued to whip him, until the figure told them to stop.

"We shall now move on the next question, has Chihiro started her training yet?"

"I won't say." The guards whipped Haku again, but this time the tip of the whips had a metal sliver that would drain his powers whenever it came into contact with him. He winced at the pain caused by the slivers but would not say anything.

"A determined little fellow aren't we? Well you shall pay dearly for that, guards you know what to do." Tall spirits appeared and sneered at Haku, they started to chant and Haku became very drowsy. He felt like he had been teleported somewhere, but when he looked around nothing seemed familiar. Then he spotted her, she was weak and bleeding badly, he wanted to run towards her and comfort her but he could not move.

"I told you that you were weak and useless, now all your powers will be mine!" The Evil One shouted at her, laughing.

"Never," she whispered weakly, "I shall never relinquish my powers to you! You do not deserve them and you will never have them, you can not take them from me."

"Oh, we shall see about that dragon." Finding that he could now run Haku ran towards her and stopped the Evil One from completing his spell.

"Don't Haku, I can handle this. I don't want you to suffer because of me."

"No," he replied, "I will protect you." The Evil One laughed loudly and Haku eyed him carefully. Smoke and flames were present all around them burning the earth and everything in its path, rising to the heavens the smoke turned the color of blood.

"I see that your little boyfriend has decided to join us," the Evil One sneered, "I am glad to see that you could make it to our little gathering Haku, I am sure you will enjoy seeing me killing your little dragon and then absorbing her powers."

"Well then you'll have to get past me first." Haku hissed at him. He tried to change into his dragon form, but he was too tired and weak. The Evil One laughed at him as he struggled to transform, finally giving up he started to chant. He tried to summon water, but it was no use he was still weak from the whippings he had received earlier.

"Such foolishness, you are doomed Haku, much as she already is." Lighting surrounded them creating a giant chamber from which escape was impossible. It started to rain, and the fires were quickly gone though the smoke and foul-smelling mist lingered. The Evil One looked at Haku menacingly and used his magic to summon fire and lighting. The combination of both reached him at exactly the same time, pain spread throughout his body. He felt himself weakening even more and finally he collapsed onto the ground from the harsh pain. Lighting continued to strike him and the fires surrounded him burning him. He could bear it no longer, the pain was too much. Tears fell out of his emerald eyes; they stung as they rolled down his face.

"Chihiro!" He finally shouted into the air. His vision blurred, his senses numbed. Every movement caused pain, but he managed to face the Evil One and his beloved. She had managed to pull herself into a standing position; weakly she took a step towards the Evil One and almost fell.

She snarled angrily at the Evil One, "You will pay dearly for what you have done to Haku!"

"Is that so," the Evil One said, clearly amused, "then try to defeat me, you shall never succeed."

"We'll see about that." She summoned fire and water, wind and earth. The elements swirled around her; a golden aura surrounded her mortal form. Her eyes glistened angrily and occasionally gave off a spiteful maroon light. Lighting flashed through the skies and joined with the elements present as did the other aspects of nature. She aimed it at the Evil One and Haku watched as it surrounded the Evil One, the Evil One greedily looked at the powerful golden aura that surrounded her mortal form. He wanted it for himself, and he was willing to do many terrible things to get it. Haku tried to warn her to protect her, but alas he was too weak to speak let alone move.

She looked at the Evil One in amazement when it was clear that he had survived his attack, "That's not possible; no one has ever survived that attack."

"Well I just did," the Evil One replied grinning, "and as I said, you will never succeed in your quest." He started to chant and an orb pulsing emerald light appeared out of his hands, it grew brighter and brighter. Skillfully, he threw it at her and hit her with an astonishing blast of lighting and water. It surrounded her; unable to escape she slowly drowned. Haku watched in horror as the Evil One walked over to her and used his sword to further torture her into giving him his powers. Blood dripped from the corners of her mouth as he cut into her neck, trying to force her to give him her powers. The pain was almost unbearable as he continued to cut her neck. A thick red line had been created from his efforts, blood dripped out of the corners of her mouth, which was filled with the dark red liquid. Her powers were slowly being drained from the sword, but she did not know it.

Haku watched as her body turned limp, a faint golden aura surrounding the dead body. Tears fell out of his sad emerald eyes, she was gone. "No," he whispered to himself, "it can't end like this, it won't end like this. Chihiro, I love you I can't bear to see you die." The scene in front of him seemed to flicker and he became dizzy, everything seemed to swirl in front of his eyes. Finally he found himself standing in the dark room, he almost fell, but luckily a guard was holding on to him and would not let him fall.

"You have seen what we could do to your precious Chihiro, now would you like to answer our questions." The hooded one asked him again. He shook his head, wanting to protect her for as long as he possibly could. A guard sneered and images of Chihiro being tortured passed through his head, he felt dizzy, tired, and very weak as the questioning continued. Still, he was not willing to tell.

Finally the hooded figure told him, "You may leave, but not before this." He touched the sword to Haku's body and watched as he fainted from the pain caused by the fiery sword. Totally weakened he was dragged back to his cell. Keiko watched in sympathy as Natusko was unwillingly dragged from her own cell, the multiple lighting bolts had severely weakened her.

Haku dreamed about Chihiro, dark nightmares in which his beloved was tortured and eventually killed. "Chihiro." He would whisper repetitively. Natusko was soon seen dragged back to her compartment, weaker than before, unable to nether speak or move. Keiko shook her head, and tears fell out of her eyes. Intense pain filled her body, unable to stay in a sitting position she fell and closed her eyes; she too had been weakened by the interrogation. The torches on the wall, which were the only sources of light, flickered and went out. Darkness cloaked the dungeon and there was mass confusion. The Evil One looked around and hissed in anger, someone had caused this and he was determined to figure it out. There was a faint glow of golden light and he froze.

_Could it be Chihiro? How did she find out? No matter she will soon be dead like the rest of her friends._

He thought to himself. The golden light started to flicker and soon disappeared. The Evil One snarled at the place where he had last seen it, "I know you are here, now show yourself." A large serpent looked at him with cool calculating eyes. Its emerald eyes twinkled in the darkness, creating small flashes of emerald green light. The golden light had been a trick to allure the Evil One to come towards her; she smiled and waited as he crept closer and closer.

_Haku, Yoshiro, I am coming. You two have helped me in the past and now it is my turn to repay the favor. _

Her golden shield flared and she hissed at the Evil One. Her golden mane brightened in the darkness, giving the illusion of a golden aura. When the Evil One approached her he knew that he had been tricked, "Hikari, I see you have returned."

Hikari looked at the Evil One, and quickly flew past him. Changing back into her human form she whispered, "Yoshiro, Haku, Natsuko, I am coming to help you and your friend."

Haku recognized the voice immediately and weakly said, "Hikari what are you doing here? Get out before the Evil One finds you."

"Who's Hikari?" Keiko replied. She had just woken up when she heard a voice.

"My younger sister," Haku grumbled, "the one who is always getting into trouble with the Evil One. Still it is good to see you again Hikari, I do believe we last meet 267 years ago correct?"

"Actually 269, but you were close." Hikari patiently replied. "Who's your friend?"

"My name is Keiko," Keiko told Hikari, "I'm Chihiro's friend."

"Chihiro, isn't she the…" Haku nodded and Hikari sighed.

"Hikari, is that you?" Yoshiro asked he had heard the familiar voice.

"Yep, it's me." Hikari told her older brother.

"Hikari, Haku's right you should leave as soon as possible." Natsuko weakly chided her friend, when she realized who the mysterious intruder was.

"I know, but I want to help you guys. After all you did help me a number of times so I thought I would repay the favor."

"You can repay the favor by getting out of here before the Evil One finds you." Yoshiro grumbled. Hikari shook her head and using magic passed through the metal bars and into Yoshiro's cell.

"Great now you're getting me into trouble, I thought you said that you were repaying the favor." Yoshiro whispered.

"I am," Hikari hissed, "now don't say anything." The Evil One passed by their cells, his eyes were well adjusted to the darkness, looking for Hikari. When he couldn't find her he walked away. Hikari smiled and looked at her older brothers, who were trying to decide whether to let her stay or make her leave.

Finally Haku sighed, "Hikari you can stay, just don't make any noise or trouble okay?" Her emerald eyes sparkling she agreed.


	8. Dragon Dreams

Chapter Eight: Dragon Dreams

Chihiro tried to force herself to stop thinking about Haku, but it didn't work. She looked out the window wondering where he was. She thought that she saw a silvery line in the air, but decided that it was just her imagination. When the silvery line flew towards the cabin she hoped that it was Haku quickly she went to find her friends and tell them about the dragon.

Hikari quickly landed on the snowy ground and shivered at the cold. She had flown here to see Zeniba; Haku had sent a message to for her. "Hikari," Zeniba cried in surprise, "what are you doing here?" Chihiro starred at the strange dragon, it wasn't Haku but Zeniba and Rin seemed to know the dragon. Hikari snorted and changed into her human form, her eyes wandered towards Chihiro and she starred at her in shock realizing immediately who she must be.

Bowing she told Zeniba, "Haku sent me here with a message for you."

"Haku," Chihiro gasped, "he's alive? How do you know him?" Hikari nodded, but would not answer the second question.

"Hikari is Haku and Yoshiro's younger sister." Rin quickly explained. "Hikari, I do not know if you know this but this is Chihiro and…."

"I know; Chihiro's the Dragon of Nature." Hikari smiled. Rin looked surprised but quickly nodded.

"Oh forgive my manners come inside Hikari, it is quite cold outside. You could give me the message inside." Zeniba told the dragon. Hikari nodded and followed everyone inside.

"Here," she handed Zeniba a letter, "Haku told me to give to you and said that Chihiro may also want to see it. Yoshiro and Natsuko told me to say hi to everyone for them and Keiko is just worried about Chihiro's safety." Zeniba nodded and quickly read the letter; her face was grave when she was finished.

"Chihiro," she said, "I am not sure if you would want to read it. Hikari since you delivered this message would you read it for everyone, I don't think I could."

Hikari nodded and read out loud, "Zeniba, I pray that this letter reaches you soon, I worry about Hikari's safety. Chihiro, I just wanted to tell you that I miss you dearly. Keiko, Natsuko, Yoshiro, and I are fine. Despite the fact that Keiko is bleeding badly and both Natsuko and Yoshiro are still in an unconscious state, I myself am too weak to write and so had my sister Hikari write it. Every night I have nightmares about what the Evil One would do to Chihiro, and him torturing her. I wake up every day sweaty and screaming her name, at least that is what my sister and Keiko say. Right now they are interrogating Keiko; I can hear her bloodcurdling screams now. They remind me of my own interrogations, and I do not want to be reminded of them. They ask questions about your whereabouts and whether Chihiro has started her training, just recently they asked starting asking about Hikari. When you don't answer they whip you or use magic to immobilize you. Chihiro, I know that these interrogations must worry you but I assure you we are fine. I hope to see you again, Haku." There was silence in the cabin. Hikari let the letter gently fall to the ground, to be picked up by No-face, who placed it on the table.

"I never knew," Chihiro finally said, "I hope that Haku and the others are okay." She glance at the letter and thought about her beloved, about how much pain and suffering that he had faced, she vowed to get him out.

An idea suddenly occurred to her, "Hikari if you left from the place where Haku's being held captive, then surely you must know where he is."

Hikari shook her head sadly, "Unfortunately as soon as I left the dungeon where Haku and the others were being kept the building disappeared from my sight. It does that for it is surrounded by powerful magic that prevents people from the outside form seeing it, occasionally teleporting to another place to avoid being found. I suppose that's why he had me send this letter to you, to try to prevent the Evil One from finding me."

"Oh I see; then you can't send a letter back." Tears slowly fell out of Chihiro's eyes. Hikari shook her head, and Rin looked at her friend sympathetically wishing that she could do something to ease the pain.

Zeniba sighed, "Well it is still good to have you with us Hikari. Tomorrow we'll have to search for clues concerning our mysterious dungeon. Since you were in the dungeon I am sure that you would be of tremendous help to us." Hikari nodded, and looked outside. It was starting to snow heavily again, she grimaced.

Rin looked outside and told everyone, "Well we won't be able to search for clues today, it's snowing."

"True," Zeniba quietly muttered, "we'll have to start first thing tomorrow then." Chihiro watched as her tears plummeted towards the floor, creating small wet patches of water. Quickly wiping away her tears she looked outside, trying to remind herself that everything would be all right. Reality though reminded her that it wasn't, Haku was still in the dungeon and they still didn't know how to get there. She angrily cursed the Evil One under her breath.

Hikari sighed and looked away from the window and looked at the letter on the table. She picked it up and looked at it. She knew what it said, but wanted to know if there was some hidden meaning behind the words. Carefully observing the paper and the words thinking about what everything meant. Much of the letter referred to Chihiro and she grinned.

_Haku must really care about Chihiro; then again she is one of the most powerful dragons. Though I am not sure if she can be referred to as a dragon, she is after all human. I wonder how Chihiro received such powers; perhaps she is related to the first Dragon of Nature in some way. Though it is strange, there are no records of him falling in love with a maiden and there are no records of him having any children. I don't remember there being any humans living around his home and his home was in the Human World after all. Perhaps Chihiro got her powers some other way._

She absentmindedly thought to herself. "Hikari is something wrong?" Rin asked her. "You're really quiet and it isn't like you to stay silent for an extended period of time."

"No I was just thinking about something." Hikari replied thinking about the first Dragon of Nature. Rin looked at her with great apprehension, something was wrong she knew it.

"Do you want to tell me what is troubling your mind?"

"No, it's fine." Hikari smiled and went to help Zeniba crochet a bracelet for Chihiro. Rin sighed and went to do the same. Chihiro looked curiously at the emerald green wool; it reminded her of Haku's eyes. Zeniba hid a small smile as she watched her sit by the window starring outside, she could tell that she was thinking about Haku the emerald wool she had chosen must have reminded her of him. No-face, Hikari, and Rin worked diligently besides the old witch as they carefully knitted the bracelet. Zeniba was immediately reminded of Chihiro's first visit to her cabin, when she was searching for a cure to Haku's illness.

The snow drifted peacefully to the ground, creating a thick blanket over the earth. Dark green leaves on a nearby tree contrasted sharply with the weather. Flowers were still in full bloom, many of them covered with frost and snow. The weather outside was both beautiful and haunting; nature seemed to be waging a war against itself. Chihiro sat silently watching the snow fall gently to the ground, so white against the dark skies above. Everything seemed so peaceful. Content, she decided to help Rin and No-face who were starting to make dinner for everyone. The howling of the wind changed into a barely audible whisper as the snow stopped falling.

Hikari quickly noticed the changed in weather and she smiled, hoping that tomorrow it wouldn't snow. "Strange," she heard Zeniba mutter to herself, "I don't know why it would stop snowing unless it was an omen of some sort." The clouds cleared, revealing a dark blue patch of sky sprinkled with many glittering stars. The waning moon seemed a bit frosty, but glowed brightly nevertheless. A shooting star sailed across the sky, to Chihiro it looked like a dragon flying. Mischievously, Hikari headed outside when no one was looking. She shivered as the cold penetrated her skin, but did not mind, the beauty of everything was spectacular. Memories flooded back to her as she closed her eyes and thought about one very special moment in her life.

_Hikari was looking up at the night sky, the stars twinkled at her and she smiled. There was a shout and Yoshiro stormed angrily outside followed by a stern looking Haku. "Hikari! Where were you?" Yoshiro screamed at her. "We were worried when we didn't find you in bed!" _

_Hikari glared at her older brother and hissed, "I can take care of myself! I don't need you or anyone else to tell me what to do or protect me! I am perfectly capable of that!" _

_"What about the time when the Evil One nearly caught you spying on him?" Haku shouted._

_"It was an accident okay?" _

_"What about the time the Evil One captured you and threw you in a dungeon?"_

_"Well um…"_

_"Face it Hikari, you are still very much a young dragon and need our protection. Without it you're practically helpless!" _

_"For the hundredth time I am not helpless! I can take care of myself, and if you want me to prove it then fine I'm leaving!" She quickly changed into her dragon form and was about to fly away. Both Yoshiro and Haku exchanged worried looks._

_"I don't think that's wise." Haku cautiously muttered. "Besides I think it's best if we spend more time with each other as we hardly ever meet." Hikari considered it for a moment and changed back. _

_"I guess you're right, I just don't like it when you keep on bossing me around so much." Yoshiro hugged his little sister. _

_"I guess we are sort of a little bit overprotective." He told her. Hikari smiled sweetly and starred up at the stars. A shooting star sailed across the sky. _

_Haku smiled, "Hikari did you know that a shooting star is a lucky omen and if you make a wish on it, your wish will come true?"_

_Hikari looked at Haku fascinated, "No I didn't, I think I'll make one right now!" She closed her eyes tightly and wished with all her might that she would one day be as powerful and wise as her brothers._

Tears appeared in the corner of corner of Hikari's eyes as she remembered that day. She quickly located the shooting star, and wished with all her might.

_Please let Haku, Yoshiro, Natsuko, and Keiko be protected from harm. _

The shooting star sailed away caring her wish and she watched it until it became a faint speck in the sky and finally disappear from view. She headed back inside to her friends and the meal that was waiting for her inside. No one had noticed Hikari's disappearance and she smiled, the tear silently fell to the ground. Two more followed, no one noticed as she sat down and wept silently by the window. Finally, with all her tears spent, she went to help Zeniba finish the bracelet. Its glittering emerald sheen reminded her of her captured brothers.

When dinner was cooked they sat down to eat, not a single word was uttered during that time. Everyone was thinking about Haku and the others. An awkward silence had surrounded the friends as they considered what must be done the next day. Zeniba presented Chihiro with the bracelet when dinner was finished, "It's to help you cheer up a bit, you seemed a bit gloomy so we thought that this present might help you cheer up. I have to admit it's the exact shade of Haku's eyes." Chihiro grinned a bit at the last statement and everyone prepared for bed.

Sleep was especially hard for Chihiro as she thought about Haku. Some dreams were happy while others were horrible nightmares that she did not want to relive. Then one dream, surprisingly lifelike, appeared to her.

_Haku stood in front of her smiling, "Chihiro, I am so glad to see you." His emerald eyes twinkled in delight. They were surrounded by light, her aura and his seemed to merge into one. _

_Chihiro smiled, "I am equally glad to see you. How are you? Fine I hope." _

_"No bruises, everything seems to be perfectly fine. I do feel a bit weak though it is nothing to be worried about." Harsh voices could be heard and Haku's image seemed to be fading._

_"Haku, don't leave me!"_

_"I can't, I am sorry Chihiro. I will tell you one thing. Beware of the Evil One he is up to no good; do not believe a word he says he just wants to trick you into giving up your powers. Bye Chihiro, I assure you one day we will meet again in person." _

_"Good-bye then." She said in a barely audible voice. "I'll miss you." Tears fell out of her eyes as she watched as the shadows envelope her and Haku disappear from her sight. _

Chihiro woke up sobbing, she missed Haku so much and the dream had seemed so real as if she really was talking to him. She fell back to sleep, her dreams tormenting her until she woke the next day.


	9. The Two Bracelets

Chapter Nine: The Two Bracelets

Chihiro woke up the next day sweaty and screaming for Haku. Hikari groaned and tried to fall back asleep, when it was apparent that she wouldn't she opened her eyes and shouted, "Baka Chihiro, you're waking everyone up with that screaming of yours!" Rin looked at Hikari disapprovingly and walked away to make breakfast. Chihiro blushed when she realized what she was doing, and quickly decided that she would help Rin. Her emerald bracelet seemed to radiate a mysterious sapphire light and started to glow. The bracelet felt warm on her skin as if someone had touched it.

Perplexed, she gently stroked the bracelet all of the energy suddenly disappeared. She helped Rin cook breakfast, but her mind was on the bracelet. When she saw Zeniba, she decided to talk to her. "Zeniba, my bracelet started to glow and then I touched it and it stopped glowing." Chihiro told her.

"It started to glow?" Zeniba looked worried. "Then Haku must be in trouble, ether that or he was trying to contact you."

"Yes it started to glow, and what do you mean that he was trying to contact me?" Chihiro asked her friend.

"Chihiro, your bracelet is a special type of bracelet. I made one like it for Haku, only it was the color red. You see I was able to convince him to give me some of his essence to put in your bracelet. Because part of him was in the bracelet, he is connected to you whenever you put it on. The bracelet that I gave him had your blood in it."

"But how did you get my blood? I wasn't bleeding at that time."

"It was complicated you see in order to get your blood I had to injure you in some way that would cause you to bleed. Naturally, I thought about getting a knife or other sharp object and cutting you. Then I realized that you wouldn't trust me after the deed was done, so at night when you were sleeping I quietly went to your house. Keiko went with me; the door was locked to so I used a spell to open it. Then we sneaked up to your room and, using the knife that I brought with me, I cut your right hand and gathered the blood that oozed out. Before we left I healed you so you wouldn't know. I then infused Haku's bracelet with your blood, in that way you were connected to him."

"What does this have to do with the bracelets?"

Zeniba sighed, "Some magical abilities are located in one's essence, or in your case, blood. Since these are part of you since birth, if you infuse these things in an item you will infuse a portion of youself. That way whoever you are giving this particular item to will hold a portion of yourself. If you are in danger or the person that holds the item is in danger, the item has the tendency to glow. If you are in danger it will glow before summoning an element or creating a spell that will protect you in some way. If that person is in danger, it will glow to tell you. It may also teleport you to a particular place if that person is seriously injured or such unless that area is protected by a spell that will not allow a person to enter. If two people have an item that is infused with the other's blood or essence it gives them the ability to communicate with each other, no matter how far the distance or if there is a spell around the area where one of the two stays. It will glow to tell you."

"Then how come I didn't hear Haku's voice or anything?" Chihiro asked Zeniba worried.

"Whenever you touch the item when it starts to glow, it will stop glowing and the other item will flash twice. It alerts the other person that you do not wish to talk with them or do not wish to do whatever the purpose of the glow was. This can be especially helpful if an enemy approaches you." Chihiro looked at her bracelet.

"What do you do if you wish to talk to the other person?"

"Just stroke the item and ether whisper the person's name or think about that person." Chihiro nodded and walked away to help Rin prepare breakfast. Her bracelet started to glow again and she quickly suppressed a grin, and stroked it.

Chihiro watched her bracelet carefully in case it started glowing again. Hikari grumbled as she walked passed her. Rin noticed her foul mood and asked her, "What's wrong Hikari?"

Hikari's bright emerald eyes flashed angrily at Rin, "Leave me alone! It's none of your business what's bothering me!" She angrily walked outside, and slammed the door behind her. Zeniba looked at her and frowned, she could guess what was bothering her.

Rin shook her head and muttered, "She must be worried about her brothers, she's not the only one who wants to scream and tear apart the Evil One for what he has done." Chihiro sighed and decided to walk outside to talk to Hikari. Her bracelet started to glow and a voice shouted. _CHIHIRO!_ She winced at the noise and looked around; no one seemed to be disturbed by the noise. She started to blush and quickly replied.

_Haku?_

_Yes, deaf one. Why have you been avoiding me? _

_There were too many people around; I didn't want anyone to know. I am kind of busy at the moment; I was going to talk to Hikari. You kind of shouted at me before I had the chance to refuse this conversation. _

_You were going to talk to Hikari? She hasn't done anything crazy has she? I'm really worried about her because she's the youngest in my family and was abandoned by my parents. Yoshiro and I don't know why, so she lived most of her life alone. My brother and I are the only family that she knows about. _

_Abandoned by your parents? That sounds awful, why would they do such a thing?_

_That's what we would like to know; luckily we found her one day while I was visiting Yoshiro. She happened to be playing in the reeds near his river. When he tried to greet her she ran away. We found her swimming in a river a few miles away from his own, when we tried to make her understand that we were friends she dived underneath the river water. At that time we thought she was a human girl so Yoshiro ran to get help while I tried to contact the river spirit in charge of the river. When no one replied to my calls I thought that the river was uninhabited and dived in to try to save her. An angry dragon started attacking me when I was underwater and Yoshiro found me on the shore injured. I was barely conscious and he asked the dragon why she had attacked me. She replied by hissing and bit me several times and then did the same to Yoshiro. At that time Yoshiro happened to notice that her eyes were an emerald shade that was similar to both mine and his. When he asked her who her parents her, she replied that she didn't know because she was abandoned at birth. Yoshiro seemed pretty surprised at this as river spirits, such as myself, never abandon their children for fear of what can happen to them before they develop their powers. She then changed back into her human form, which was that of the girl we saw, and swiftly walked away. We never saw her again after that. _

_Then how did you know that she was your sister? _

_For a while we didn't; then one day I happened to see Hikari sitting on the riverbanks of my river. I asked her what she was doing there and for a while she didn't reply. Her reply shocked me though; she said that she had a brother who lived near my river and another one near Yoshiro's river. I quickly told Yoshiro the next day and we knew that she was our sister then because not many people lived near our rivers. Many of the people who lived near our rivers were seniors and such. The next day Yoshiro and I visited our parents and asked them if we had a sister named Hikari. They looked a bit shocked, and they told us that we did. We quickly decided that she should live with us but first we asked her what her name was, which she curtly replied was Hikari, and told her why we were her brothers. Ever since then we knew that she was our sister, though she never asked us who her parents were, we decided it was because she still hadn't forgiven them for abandoning her at birth. _

_Wow, I never knew. Well I should go talk to her, bye Haku. _

_Bye then Chihiro. They're dragging Yoshiro back; I guess that I'm next. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine… _He was suddenly cut off by something and her bracelet faintly flashed once. She grimaced and sat next to Hikari.

"Is there something wrong Hikari?" Chihiro asked her friend.

"That's what I hate about you guys, always barging into other people's businesses!" Hikari shouted loudly. "It was bad enough that Yoshiro and Haku were always following me around whenever they could and asking me if I was hurt, but now it's just ridiculous! Just leave me alone!" Chihiro stared at her friend worried, she never heard her talk to her like that.

"I never knew that you felt that way, I should leave then."

"No it's okay; you can stay if you want to." Chihiro smiled and the two friends watched as the golden sun rose to the east, casting a rosy glow over the remaining clouds and the light blue sky. The snow felt soft and comforting underneath. As they walked back towards the house, Chihiro stared at her bracelet. It sparkled with an unseen radiance. Breakfast was especially quiet that morning; everyone was about the search that was soon to begin. As everyone walked outside, a strong gust of wind nearly knocked them off of their feet.

"The Evil One must not want us to find them." Zeniba muttered. "Oh well after this we'll have to go to the council."

"Why do we have to go to the council?" Chihiro asked curiously.

"Well there are people who would want to know about your powers and such, don't worry they'll only want to help you. You will get to meet the Dragon King and Haku, Yoshiro, and Hikari's parents, they're very important spirits." Hikari shifted uncomfortably, from what she knew about her parents she didn't want to meet them.

"How important are they?"

"You'll see." Zeniba winked and Rin smiled. Hikari shuddered at the thought; Rin noticed that she was quite uncomfortable.

"Don't worry Hikari, I am sure that they can't be that mean. It'll be fun seeing your parents."

"You don't know the pain they caused me; I don't want to see them." Rin looked at her quite confused. _She must not have told them. _Chihiro thought to herself.

"Chihiro, Hikari, you should transform into dragons now. Unfortunately we are expected at the council, so we can only search for clues for only a few minutes."

Chihiro and Hikari transformed into their dragon forms and waited for their friends to mount them. They soared into the air and looked around for clues. "Hurry, hurry, or we'll be late." Zeniba muttered into Chihiro's ears. Hikari soon was heard growling impatiently.

"She's right; we can't waste any more time hurry to the east. We must go to the council!" Zeniba shouted. Chihiro snorted and flew to the west, following Hikari who seemed pretty impatient. Rin looked at Hikari and frowned, why could her parents do that would cause her some much anger against them. The golden sun illuminated the dragons as they quickly flew in haste. A silvery palace could be seen in the distance as they flew as fast as they could. A pearly tear appeared at the corner of one of Chihiro's great ruby eyes as she thought about Haku and wondered if his parents knew about the fate of their son.

Hikari thoughtfully looked at the palace, according to her brothers many of her kin lived or visited the palace at least once in their lifetime. A low growl emitted from her throat, and Rin looked at her worried. Zeniba quickly told Hikari as Chihiro flew near her friend, "Do not try to take any unessacary risks Hikari. I know your story Hikari, you yourself told me the first time you visited me, do not let your anger towards your parents cloud your judgment. You never know, perhaps your parents regretted what they did to you." Hikari growled again and roared with fury, her fangs gleaming angrily in the sunlight.

"Hikari, please control yourself! Your parents will be very angry at you if you attack them! Like Zeniba said do not take any unessacary risks!" Rin pleaded with her friend. Hikari considered her words for a moment and nodded. Zeniba and Rin sighed; Chihiro looked at the giant gates of the palace in awe. Hikari shifted uncomfortably, she never asked her brothers who her parents were and quickly decided she didn't want to know. They probably abandoned her because she was too playful or otherwise too mischievous, but she was still a newborn spirit at that time.

_Zeniba and Rin are right, I can't let my anger cloud my judgment. Whatever anger and hatred I felt towards my parents will have to be put aside, we are on a very important mission. Haku, I wish you were here. _

Hikari thought to herself. "Halt!" A guard dragon cried as they approached the large gates, and blocked their way.

Zeniba frowned and had Chihiro fly towards the dragon, she showed them the permit that was given to her and told him, "The council wishes to see us on matters concerning the Dragon of Nature." The dragon nodded and parted so that they could enter. Chihiro and Hikari quickly flew towards the palace and transformed back into their human forms. Zeniba looked at Chihiro with slight apprehension as a young spirit led them towards the central chamber. Everyone was silent, as the entered the central chamber and the presence of the council.


	10. Great Surprise

Chapter Ten: Great Surprise

Chihiro and her friends bowed in front of the Dragon King and his wife as well as the ten council members. "We have gathered today to discuss the issue of the Dragon of Nature, Zeniba I see that you have brought her." The Dragon King said.

Zeniba nodded, "Yes I have brought the Dragon of Nature, Chihiro." Chihiro stood next to Zeniba, fear present in her eyes as she did not know what would happen. The Dragon King's gaze rested on her, and he thought long and hard.

He then said, "I see, you will start your training as soon as you and your friends are rested. You do not have to tell me Zeniba for the news came, Chihiro I believe you know for you were there the day they took my son away. You loved him did you not? He was equally devoted to you; I hope that you will be reunited with your beloved soon."

"Your son, but that would mean…" Chihiro gulped and Hikari stared at the king. Her emerald eyes turning a shade of jade, her face paling.

"Yes, Kohaku my eldest son, I believe you know him as Haku, though I hear that they also took Yoshiro my second oldest son."

Chihiro gasped and fainted, Hikari said to herself, "Then that would mean that you are my…" She didn't finish the sentence instead she fainted as well. Rin looked at Hikari in shock; she hadn't expected this kind of reaction from her or even from the Dragon King for that matter.

The Dragon King looked at Hikari curiously. "She looks familiar, who is that girl?"

Rin opened her mouth to say something but was silenced by a fierce glare from Zeniba. "Your highness she is Hikari, a mere dragon who was with Haku and Yoshiro. She escaped with a message from Haku." He turned white and looked at his wife who looked equally as shocked.

"Kohaku and Yoshiro mentioned her, though I never thought that I would see her again." She gulped. "She was my youngest daughter, though not my youngest child." A silvery tear emerged from one of her jade eyes. It fell to the floor, though none followed it. Rin looked at her friend sympathetically, she vowed to find out what her parents did that troubled her so. Chihiro's bracelet started to glow, but Zeniba touched it before anyone noticed and the glow promptly disappeared.

"Forgive my bad manners; guards please take Chihiro and Hikari to the infirmary and have someone watch over them." The Dragon King boomed. "Zeniba and Rin, as I believe your name is, please meet with me in the Council Chamber."

Chihiro opened her eyes to find that herself in a bed, she looked around her to find Hikari in a bed ten feet away from her's. Her bracelet was glowing brightly she quickly covered it when she heard someone approach them. "How are you feeling miss." A nurse asked her.

"I'm fine, I think. Where am I?" Chihiro asked.

"Why in the infirmary in the palace of the Dragon King."

"The Dragon King… oh right I forgot. Wait I only see Hikari, where are Zeniba and Rin?"

"If you mean your friends, they are currently talking to the Dragon King." The nurse promptly walked away and Chihiro stared at Hikari, hoping that she would get better. Hikari moaned she was having a nightmare about her parents. Her eyes opened suddenly and she woke up sweaty.

"Where am I?" She whispered to herself. She looked around and found Chihiro, but Zeniba and Rin were nowhere to be seen. She quickly pulled herself into a sitting position and then remembered where she was. Spiteful thoughts filled her mind.

A spirit happened to be passing the infirmary; she smirked when she saw Hikari. "I heard that I had a younger sister," she said, "Kohaku and Yoshiro found you correct? I also happen to know that you were abandoned by my parents that I believe was a good decision. After all you look like nothing but a worthless piece of junk! Yoshiro and Haku, they were right in perhaps taking you in and caring for you. You're probably weak though undeserving of the help they could give you."

"Take that back, true I was abandoned. True I was found by Haku and Yoshiro, but there are invisible lines that should never be crossed. You just crossed at least a hundred of them!" Hikari leapt out of her bed with amazing speed and agility. Her emerald eyes flashed angrily.

"So you're challenging me to a fight. This should be easy!" Chihiro watched as Hikari transformed into a dragon, a fiery silver aura surrounded her. She roared angrily at her opponent. The other spirit shrugged and changed into its dragon form. Hikari roared her challenge, her eyes gleaming dangerously and her fangs hungry for blood and the essence of spirits. She lashed out with her tail, but her opponent dodged nimbly. Chihiro watched in horror as her friend opened her jaws and clamped them tight onto her opponent's neck. Ruby blood and silvery essence flowed out at the same time. The other dragon roared and tried to shake free, but Hikari would not let go of her prey. The dragon turned white and strange sounds emerged from her throat. Slick red blood soon covered the floor. Rin and Zeniba ran into the room the Dragon King along with them.

"Hikari!" Rin shouted. "Stop before it's too late." Hikari though would not listen; Zeniba was worried that she would kill the dragon. If she did then she would perhaps go mad and join the Evil One. She gulped, spirits never killed one another perhaps make them sick, yes, but never kill. Only those of evil killed others. An idea suddenly occurred to her.

"Chihiro use your bracelet to contact Haku!" She shouted. "It may be Hikari's last chance!" Chihiro nodded and touched her bracelet and thought about her beloved.

_Haku! It's an emergency, Hikari's killing another dragon. _

His response was that of shock. _Hikari, kill another? That can't be, but it has happened hasn't it. Oh no, I hope it isn't too late, if she successfully kills that dragon we'll all be in big trouble. Okay then, don't touch you're bracelet Chihiro I have an idea. Hold the hand with the bracelet out towards Hikari. _

Chihiro did as she was told and watched in wonder as a large stream of water emerged form her bracelet completely drenching Hikari and the other dragon. With a deafening roar Hikari let go of her prey and watched as she weakly transformed back into her human form. There was a large gash on her throat. The water streamed back into the bracelet and Chihiro watched as it flashed twice and stopped glowing. Hikari also changed back into her human form.

"Sora, I hope you're okay!" the Dragon King told his daughter walking over to her. "Hikari if act like this again I will be forced to make you leave!"

"I didn't want to come here anyway! Who wants to spend time with parents who disowned them at birth?" Hikari shouted angrily. "I'll tell you who! No one, you don't have to make me leave! I am leaving to find my brothers as soon as possible! They were right, it would be better if I didn't know who my birthparents were!" She angrily transformed back into a dragon and flew out of a nearby window.

"Hikari, come back!" Rin shouted after her friend. Zeniba stared at Hikari sadly; she knew that she didn't have a good chance of survival with the Evil One dominating both worlds. Her greatest fear was the Hikari would join the Evil One, she silently hoped that Hikari had enough sense not to choose that path. The Dragon King gently put Sora in a nearby bed and walked away.

"Hikari, please don't go." Chihiro whispered. Tears fell out of her eyes and she wept. Rin tried to comfort her but to no avail. Hikari turned around and looked at Chihiro and the others, she thought about her friends and decided that she'd rather be with them. She changed into her human form as she landed in the infirmary. Chihiro smiled and they followed Zeniba and Rin.

"I am glad that you came back Hikari, please don't do that again." Zeniba told the dragon. Hikari nodded and watched as her mother and father approached them. She frowned and walked away, as if to leave.

"Hikari please stay, your father and I would like to talk to you." Her mother told her.

Hikari stopped shook her head, "You will never be able to ease the pain that you caused me that day. I choose to live a life away from you two; I know Yoshiro and Haku would have wanted me to do the same. They were pretty shocked when they heard my story; no river spirit with any sense would ever abandon their child at birth. The king and queen of dragons should have known better, they are after all the rulers and would be setting a bad example for their subjects. Nothing could ever make me forgive or forget what you have done to me. I'd rather I live a more solitary life." She continued walking away. Zeniba stared nervously after Hikari, she had gone through much pain and suffering. She wisely decided to follow her, and motioned for Chihiro and Rin to come with her.

A single silvery tear fell out of her eyes as she thought about her brothers. "I wish you were here to guide me." She said to herself. Her mother started to follow her but her father stopped her before she could continue any further.

Zeniba told Hikari when she reached her, "Hikari, I know what they have done have caused you a great deal of pain."

"Why me, what did I do wrong? I didn't deserve it." More tears fell out of her emerald eyes.

"True you were undeserving of what they did but you must forgive, or at least corporate, with your parents. I myself do not approve of what they did, you were right the king and queen of dragons should know better. I believe it was Yoshiro who told you that am I correct?" Hikari nodded.

Zeniba smiled before continuing, "Think of what your brothers would do now. Would they get mad and storm off, or would they stay and try to talk to their parents?"

"They would stay and try to talk to their parents." Hikari answered. She sighed and turned around. Her parents were looking at her curiously. Chihiro nervously glanced at her friend. Rin was trying to stay clam, but her fidgeting revealed her true feelings. Zeniba watched as Hikari walked back to her friends and parents, she followed closely behind. Chihiro touched her bracelet suddenly for it had started to glow.

_He always tries to contact me at the wrong times. _She thought crossly to herself. The Dragon King looked suddenly at Chihiro and at the bracelet she wore on her left arm, he had noticed that it had glowed.

"Zeniba, I don't suppose that you gave her that bracelet? Could I see it for a moment?"

Zeniba stared nervously at Chihiro who was shaking badly. Rin gasped and nearly fainted. Hikari turned a pale shade of white. "Yes your majesty as long as it is okay with Chihiro." Zeniba looked at Chihiro who barely managed to nod and handed her the emerald bracelet.

Zeniba promptly handed it to the king who examined it carefully. Turned it over it started to glow, but because he was touching it the glow promptly stopped. _Chihiro why are you avoiding me? _Haku suddenly shouted. Unfortunately it was his father who received the message.

_Kohaku, is that you? _His father replied frowning.

_Dad? I thought that… oh no she wasn't attacked was she._

_Yes son it's me, no I had Chihiro hand over her bracelet. _

_Oh okay then um, is Hikari there? _

_Yes why do you ask? _

_Uh Yoshiro and Natsuko want to talk to her about something. _

_Natsuko? Isn't she that nice dragon that Yoshiro always talks about? _

_She is, and she's also our friends. Could you hand it over to her? They say that it's urgent. _Haku begged his father.

_Sure, if it's that important then why not? _He handed the bracelet to his daughter who looked at it curiously.

_Hikari, I wanted to ask you who you attacked. _Haku told his younger sister, hoping that she would answer.

_I think her name was Sora, she claims to be my sister. _Hikari frowned, now she understood why Zeniba insisted on having this bracelet made.

_Did you say Sora? Great, she can get you into a lot of trouble. You see she's the third born child, and our parents always valued us above my other siblings. Stay away from her my other siblings have enough sense to. Don't try to talk to her she was always a little bit mean and snobbish. _

_Oh now you tell me, okay avoiding her shouldn't be too hard. I'll take your advice. _

_Good now hand the bracelet to Chihiro and tell her to stroke it. _Hikari shrugged and did as she was told. The bracelet flashed twice before Chihiro had the chance to touch it. She sighed and looked at Hikari and her parents and the drama that was about to unfold.


	11. The Test of Dragons

Chapter Eleven: The Test of Dragons

Hikari stared at her parents; she had no idea why they called her for this meeting. At least Chihiro, Rin, and Zeniba were with her. "Hikari, I do suppose you realize that you are our daughter correct?" Her father questioned her.

She replied courteously, "Of course my highness."

"There's no need after all, you are my daughter. I do want you do to one thing though to prove that you are actually my daughter. Any of my offspring will find this easy enough. Do you see this stone hold it and try to change into a dragon while holding it." Hikari looked at the glowing green stone quizzically; she had never seen or heard of it before.

"Sure, it should be easy enough. After all Haku and Yoshiro told me that they were my brothers and explained to me why. I don't see why they would want to lie to me." Holding on the stone, she found transforming into a dragon a bit awkward, though she managed to do it. The green stone glowed brightly, surrounding her with a light green aura and mixing with her own silvery one. For a second she was blinded by the light from the stone and nearly dropped it.

"Now move around and try to fly with the stone in your mouth." Her father instructed her.

Hikari snorted and gently placed the strange green stone into her mouth; it had stopped glowing and was now issuing a soothing warm feeling. It fit comfortably and she walked towards the window, her emerald green eyes glowing brighter and brighter. She could feel the stone's powers rushing through her veins. Making sure that the stone would not fall out when she flew, she leapt into the air and soared around. She seemed to be pulsing a gentle green light; dragons flew towards her attracted by the light.

"Now Hikari, try to fight them with the stone in your mouth. This is your final test and will prove to me if you really are my daughter." The Dragon King roared. Two dragons lunged at her, and she nimbly dodged them. She watched as her tail hissed through the air like a whip, striking the two dragons and sending them falling towards the ground. There was a loud thud and the dragons watched her astonished. Roaring a dragon aimed summoned a large ball of water, which he aimed towards her.

She snorted and summoned water as well, which it blasted at the ball of water sending it hurling back at its owner. Her father looked pleased and smiled. He watched as another dragon lunged towards her, its mouth opened ready to bite. Hikari quickly flew upwards and sharply dived towards the dragon, smacking it with her tail which was laced with icy-cold water. The dragon roared with the pain caused by the attack and flew away to nurse its wounds. "That is enough Hikari, you may return and changed back into you human form." Her father told her.

Grunting she looked around to make sure no other dragon attempted to attack her before she flew back to her friends. She took the stone out of her mouth before changing back into her human form. Strangely the stone was quite dry when she handed it to her father. He took it and it started to glow again, though instead of a green aura surrounding it was now surrounded by a silvery white one. Hikari watched as the stone's normal green aura slowly came back.

"You have proved yourself to me, only one of my offspring could have done what you just did." Her father told her satisfied. "You probably did not know this, as you lived most of your life alone, but the green stone you see before you is the Emerald of Dragons. It is a very powerful stone that can multiply your powers by up to ten times if you hold it. Unfortunately, unless you are related directly to the Dragon King, you will not be able to transform into a dragon if you do. If you do happen to be able to transform into a dragon you will not be able to fly, move, or fight using magic and the stone may kill you if you hold it for to long."

"I never knew," she replied watching the green stone, "I thought it was just a normal stone."

The Dragon King smiled, "It isn't a normal stone."

Zeniba gasped, "I did not expect you to use such a precious object in the testing of your daughter milord."

"It is the only way to see if she really is my daughter so I had to use it." Hikari quietly walked towards Chihiro, who seemed to be sleeping.

Gently nudging her friend she told her, "Wake up Chihiro, the tests are over." Chihiro drowsily opened her eyes and barely managed to stifle a yawn. Rin looked at her quite shocked that she had managed to fall asleep. Hikari shrugged when she saw Rin looking at her.

"There was a test?" Chihiro whispered to her friend.

"Yes, and only I had to take a test. Well three of them actually."

"Oh, how did you do?"

"Great, passed all of them."

"What did you have to do?"

"Oh carry a stone and transform into a dragon, fly, and fight."

"That sounds easy enough."

"It does but my father explained that it isn't as easy as it sounds." Hikari quietly whispered.

"Your father, who's he? Oh right, the Dragon King sorry I forgot for a second that you were his daughter." Chihiro quietly told her friend. Hikari looked at her, quite surprised, but didn't reply. Her father was looking at her and for a second she felt extremely nervous.

"Hikari, Rin, and Zeniba you can stay with Chihiro if you wish. Rooms will be provided for you. Hikari, I don't suppose you control a river do you?" her father asked her.

"I used to, like Yoshiro's and Haku's it was destroyed by humans."

"I see, well I was going to restore their rivers back to its original state, if you wish to I could do the same to yours."

"Please do, I would like to go back to my river as soon as possible."

"As you wish Hikari, Chihiro do you think you will be ready to train? I am told that your training will begin soon." The Dragon King asked Chihiro.

"I think so," Chihiro said thoughtfully, "yes I am; I hope to begin my training soon."

"Good, good, so do you wish to stay with Chihiro then?"

"Yes we would like to stay with Chihiro. We may leave later, perhaps, to search for Haku and the others that were captured along with him by the Evil One." Zeniba wisely answered.

"Then it is settled, you will stay with Chihiro here until the time comes for you to search for my son. Though I will tell you this, it is not necessary as I have ordered many to search for him." The Dragon King chuckled. "You are now dismissed. I will have a servant lead you to your rooms." Zeniba and the others bowed and followed a quiet spirit to their rooms, which happened to be next to one another. Hikari sat on the wooden floor thinking about Keiko, Natsuko, Yoshiro, and Haku. She silently wept when she realized how much she missed them.

"So my parents allowed you to stay. I would say that was a bad decision on their part." Sora walked into her room and addressed her.

_Haku said that I shouldn't talk to her and if I do meet her not talk to her that sounds like good advice. I think I'll do exactly as he says though I wonder what made her that way? I don't think I should ask her though; she might get offended by my question. _

She wisely thought to herself. A few more tears fell out of her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away and faced Sora. She walked out of her room and towards Chihiro; the thought of having a nice chat with her friend cheered her up a bit.

"Don't you dare ignore me like that Hikari." Sora sneered. "Oh sure the others do it but you are in no position to imitate them. Besides your parents disowned you, so Haku and Yoshiro aren't your brothers."

"Even if my parents did disown me, they are still my blood brothers." She muttered to herself before entering Chihiro's room and slamming the door behind her. Chihiro looked at Hikari from the way she had slammed her door she knew that she was angry.

"Is there something troubling you Hikari?" Chihiro asked her friend, who was walked towards her.

"No," Hikari grumbled as she sat down next to her, "except that Sora likes to follow me around and annoy me whenever she possibly can."

"Sora…oh that dragon that you attacked and nearly killed, I heard that she was released today during your test because the nurse believed that she was fine. Hmm, did Haku say anything about her?"

"He did say to try to avoid her and not talk to her; he said something about her always being a bit mean and snobbish."

"That sounds like good advice if you ask me, though if she really is following you then you will find it hard to avoid her." Chihiro mused. "Why don't you talk to Haku or something and see if there is anything that you can do that would make Sora leave you alone?"

"I rather not Chihiro, I think I just won't talk to her and try to avoid her as best as I possibly can. Thanks Chihiro, I feel a lot better I think I'll go back to my room now." Hikari stood up and walked out of Chihiro's room, heading back to her own. Luckily Sora had left, so she walked back into her own room and decided to observe the events going on outside as there seemed nothing to do. Her emerald eyes gazed at the guards on the parameter of the palace, beyond there a city gleamed in the sunlight. A large garden was located directly below her window, somewhere in the distance a bird trilled lightly and a horse snorted with fear. A dragon's roar shattered the silence, and Hikari looked about her for the source of the roar. A large flock of pale gray birds soared into the air, the sound of their wing beats strained from the speed at which they were rising.

Sora was seen running down the hall along with her many siblings. "What's going on?" Rin emerged from her room and looked around wearily.

Sora answered hastily, "Someone spotted Haku and Yoshiro, they alerted father and he's calling an emergency meeting."

"They were spotted? Where?" Hikari asked.

"Don't know, but you should come along with Chihiro. Besides Chihiro is Haku's beloved and you are their youngest sister." Hikari smirked and followed Sora, Chihiro running alongside her. Rin and Zeniba exchanged a grim stare and decided to follow them.

In the Central Chamber were the king and queen and two injured dragons. They looked exactly like Haku and Yoshiro, though Hikari and Chihiro immediately knew that they had been tricked. "That's not Haku and Yoshiro. Yoshiro's mane is lighter that I remember it to be and Haku seems…well fatter than he was last." She fiercely whispered to her friend. Chihiro nodded, Sora looked astounded and walked towards the two dragons.

"Be careful Sora." Hikari muttered. Sora walked towards the dragons carefully, acknowledging Hikari's warning silently. The dragon who looked like Haku snorted and his eyes glowed a deadly reddish light. Roaring he lashed out with his tail towards the Dragon King and his wife and Sora, who was approaching him. Hikari looked at the dragon angrily; she was not going to allow her family to get hurt. A silvery white light shimmered in the air around her as she changed into the dragon, her emerald eyes blazing angrily. In a single fluid motion she stopped the dragon's attack. The other dragon roared angrily and lashed out; Chihiro transformed into a dragon and stopped its attack as Hikari had before her. Growling as she changed back she said to the pair of dragons, "You are not Yoshiro and Haku, we know that for certain." She quickly transformed back into her former form as the two dragons chuckled and the images of Yoshiro and Haku shattered, revealing a pair of two black dragons. Their flowing red manes resembling fire in its movement and color, their glowing ruby eyes looked at Chihiro and Hikari as they hissed angrily. Hikari's mane bristled and she snarled angrily, her alabaster fangs showing in the process. Chihiro carefully watched their tails, which seemed to snake towards them as if preparing for a surprise attack.

Rin summoned all of her courage and shouted passionately, "No you are not Yoshiro and Haku; you are dragons who have killed and are now working with the Evil One! I am glad that you have showed your true forms, you are undeserving of any courtesy we would have given to you in your disguises!" Sora and her parents were slowing edging back from the dragons, all three gulped in fear.

Laughing the dragons spoke, _this is a warning you will not be so lucky next time_. They flew away, towards the large storm cloud that was heading towards the city. Hikari and Chihiro stared after them, their eyes glowing angrily, knowing of the danger that lay ahead.


	12. The First Lesson

Chapter Twelve: The First Lesson

Chihiro and Hikari glanced nervously at the large number of spirits gathered. They were still too shocked from the pair of black dragons to speak. Exchanging hopeful glances they melted into the crowd, next to their friends. Zeniba looked at the king and gulped, he and his wife were still too frightened to talk. Sora swiftly walked towards Hikari and Chihiro saying, "What you just did was very brave, though also very dangerous. Please don't do that again, I think my parents are worried about what could have happened to you two. I'll let them explain just how dangerous these dragons are."

Hikari sighed, "I know a little bit about the dragons, I was very close to becoming one. I'll tell Chihiro what I know, though my knowledge of these dragons is still incomplete." Sora nodded and walked towards her parents, who seemed to be discussing something.

"So what are these dragons and their dangers?" Chihiro asked her friend.

Hikari sighed, "I don't know enough about them to be afraid, though I know enough to be wary of them. They are dragons, or other spirits for phoenixes have become like this too, who have killed or tasted the essence of another spirit. If that spirit happens to be transformed, an example would be a dragon; they will also taste blood which only makes it worse for some reason. Once a spirit has tasted blood and or essence they will thirst for it, and they will kill to satisfy their own desire. The more spirits they kill, the stronger they grow, though I still don't know why. It is said that it is possible for these dark spirits to kill an army of dragons or perhaps a legion of phoenixes. They can overwhelm even the strongest spirit, and leave their powers weakened or gone. That's all I know about these spirits, or dark spirits as they are called. Dragons that have become like this are known as dark dragons and so on."

"Wow sounds horrible, so how do they kill you?"

"Like a normal spirit, as in by teeth or claws, magic and there are a few ways that deal with how many they have killed."

"Oh I sure don't want to meet one." Chihiro shuddered at the thought.

"I know, but fortunately there aren't many of them. You may only see one or less in your lifetime. They can be weakened by especially strong magic, or fought like we just did. They aren't immortal, so it is possible to be rid of them." Chihiro nodded and watched as the crowd parted around them. Zeniba and Rin looked nervously at the Dragon King and they too left Hikari and Chihiro. Sora walked to the two friends and stood by them, her light emerald eyes looked worried and wary. A single spirit walked towards the Dragon King and bowed.

"He's an extremely old spirit," Sora quickly explained, "he trained father, grandpa, great-grandpa, and great-great-grandpa and he was going to train Kohaku. Father wanted him to train you Chihiro; he thought that he would be the best choice. Though I don't trust him, be careful when your around him Chihiro, you too Hikari. I think father wanted to have you train alongside your friend, said something about her being a good role model for you." She smirked as Hikari frowned, Chihiro smiled weakly as the spirit approached her. His eyes were a delicate shade of amber, and his smile was contagious.

"Hello young dragon," he addressed her, Chihiro shuddered inwardly, "I am pleased to meet you. Your lessons shall start soon so you should get ready." Chihiro bowed and left, to his approval.

His eyes found that of Hikari's, "Your father told me about your strange situation, and asked me to train you alongside the Dragon of Nature. So you should get ready for your lessons as well." Hikari nodded and bowed and left. Sora hesitated for a moment and followed Chihiro and Hikari. The elderly spirit considered her for a moment and shook his head.

Sora glanced behind her to make sure that the spirit wasn't following them and sighed. Hikari looked quite angry and Chihiro looked very scared. Hikari noticed this and wondered why, "Chihiro, why are you so scared."

Chihiro gulped and answered, "Well he called me young dragon and the Evil One called me that."

Hikari laughed, "Chihiro I am sure he doesn't mean you any harm. Haku and Yoshiro called me the same thing when I was younger. They still do sometimes."

"Did they really?"

"Sometimes, like when they were angry at me or worried about me. Sometimes they just called me young dragon for no reason. It's a nickname for dragons that are younger than you or are just very young, not older than 50 or 100 years."

"Oh I see, then why does the Evil One use it."

"Perhaps it's because he wanted to point out your inexperience. He likes to do that, use your weaknesses against you." Chihiro nodded and sighed when Hikari walked into her room. Chihiro grimaced and walked into her own, unsure of what to do for preparation.

"You could start by changing into a kimono. I am pretty sure he expects all of his female students to attend class wearing one." Sora answered as if reading her thoughts. Chihiro glanced nervously at her friend as she walked inside her room.

"Oh yah thanks." She answered.

"Don't worry I won't hurt you, I just thought I'd stop by. Hikari is as annoying as ever refusing to talk to me and such, so I decided to come here and chat with you."

"Um sure, I guess uh I should really change into that kimono. By the tone of his voice I think he meant that lessons would start really soon."

Sora sighed, "Fine I'll leave." She walked out of her room and headed into her own. Sighing she followed Sora's advice and changed into a kimono. There were several in a closet and she choose a dark jade one. Its color reminded her of Haku in his dragon form. Chihiro sighed and willed herself not to think of him or cry. Unhappily she walked out of her room to find Hikari waiting for her; she was wearing a beautiful sapphire one.

"Let's go and the sooner I am out of this stupid kimono the better." Hikari grumbled. Chihiro nodded and together, using the instructions Sora had told Hikari, they walked into a large room. A spirit was sitting on a mat mediating, there seemed to be a few other spirits, all male, in a circle around him. Nervously, Chihiro and Hikari looked around unsure if they were in the right place. Hikari gulped and turned to walk away.

"Ah I see my other students are here, where are you going Hikari I am pretty sure that your father doesn't want you to quit your classes." Hikari yelped at the sound of her name and nearly fainted. Grimacing, she and Chihiro reluctantly walked into the room.

"I know I am going to regret this. I wish there were other girls in this class besides us." Hikari muttered to herself. Chihiro faintly nodded and sat next to Hikari. A boy giggled, but was silenced by the teacher's stare. Hikari feeling embarrassed wanted to leave the room, Chihiro did too. _Well at least they are family, just hope I don't make a fool of myself. _She thought to herself when she noticed the emerald eyes that were a characteristics that all of the boys shared.

"So, which one of you humans is the girl that Kohaku chose?" A boy from the circle sneered. "Is it you green-eyed one? Or is it your friend?" The other boys started to laugh, but their teacher did nothing to stop them. Before Chihiro could stop her, Hikari summoned a large amount of water and splashed it over the boy. The teacher looked at her, quite amused.

The boy, now dripping wet shouted, "Just because Kohaku likes you don't give you the right to attack me human!"

"He has a point Hikari," Chihiro muttered, "Haku would have probably solved this problem another way." She winked at Hikari and she smiled.

"Human? Who said that I was a human?" Hikari snarled. "I am in fact a blood relative to both him and you. In case you haven't noticed, my eyes are a shade of emerald similar to yours. They're in fact inherited from my mother and father."

The boy frowned, "So where is this leading to?"

"That I am Kohaku's, as well as Yoshiro's, youngest sister."

"Really, I don't remember having a sister named Hikari."

"Well I am glad that my parents disowned me, so I am not related to you in a sense."

"Your parents disowned you, how?" the boy snorts. "I am pretty sure that my parents wouldn't disown any of their children."

Tears begin to fall out of Hikari's eyes, "They abandoned me okay? Left me in the reeds of a river that I came to control, that's my story and if you don't believe fine! I really don't care." Chihiro looked at her friend sympathetically; Haku had told her what happened.

"Abandoned? You must be crazy my parents wouldn't abandon any of their children, no matter how worthless."

Thoughts raced around in Hikari's mind. _Wouldn't abandon their children no matter how worthless? Then why was I abandoned? _She sat silently as the teacher began to speak, "I suppose that is enough, Toji I suppose you should change into dryer clothes. We will wait until you return."

"Yes sensei." The boy bowed and left the room.

The teacher faced Hikari, "So you were abandoned by your parents Hikari, they mentioned something like it."

"Yes sensei." She replied.

The teacher looked at her obviously pleased, "I am glad that you learned something from Toji. I suppose it was Kohaku and Yoshiro who found you correct? I never heard of the full details of your story so perhaps you should share it with us." Hikari stared around her nervously all of the boys seemed interested. Her emerald eyes glistened angrily, it was clear that she didn't want to tell her story to a bunch of strangers even if they were her brothers.

Hikari replied, "I was abandoned by my parents in my river, in the years to come I became the spirit of that river. One day I heard rumors that I might have brothers living close to the rivers of Yoshiro and Kohaku. They found me one day playing near Yoshiro's river, okay. The next day Kohaku found me playing near the riverbanks of his river and asked me why I was there. I told him about the rumors and he and his brother came to believe that they were the brothers mentioned. After a while they went to talk to someone, I think it was their parents, if they had a sister named Hikari. When they returned they said that I really was their youngest sister. That's my story."

"You left out all the good parts." A student complained. Toji walked back into the classroom and sat next to Hikari. Their teacher looked at Hikari curiously; his amber eyes seemed to ask for more. It was soon clear that he wanted to know the exact details of her story, from where her river was located and what the condition of it was now. Hikari was reluctant to part with such information and so did not answer any of the teacher's questions.

"Sora is right, I don't trust this guy." Hikari whispered to Chihiro, who nodded. In the time that had come to past she despised the teacher for asking her friend such personal questions. A student sitting to the right of Chihiro frowned.

Finally he said, "Sensei, I don't think you should ask her any more questions, she seems a bit uneasy."

"I suppose you're right." The teacher frowned. "It's like girls to be secretive, though you must learn to share what you have. That includes stories, memories, and other such things." Hikari looked at him in shock; Chihiro frowned and shook her head. Both disapproved of the things their teacher had said, there were things meant to be kept a secret. Like for example the Emerald of Dragons, it was to ensure safety upon certain parties and items.

"Well let us begin our first magic lesson of the day." The teacher suddenly said. "Repeat after me…" the lesson continued as the day began to lengthen and the sun slowly sank to the western horizon. Finally the class was finished and they left. Hikari quickly retreated into her room to remove her hated Kimono, Chihiro did the same. Though both put them back on after a messenger came saying that they were to be dining with the Dragon King tonight and he had insisted that they wear kimonos.

"This just gets better and better. Haku, Yoshiro why didn't you warn me?" She muttered unhappily to herself. As she emerged from the room in a bright emerald kimono and Chihiro walked out of her room in a rosy red one. Sora happened to walk past their rooms at that time.

"Hmm," she said thoughtfully, "you two actually look pretty good in a kimono."

"Thanks for the complement." Hikari said sarcastically. "Though I am curious is the Dragon King really this traditional?"

"Yes, though I can't help to notice you didn't address him as father."

"You were right, they did disown me. I don't want to have anything to do with them anyway, can't see how Haku and Yoshiro could have stood it."

"They didn't, that's why they didn't spend much time here and instead preferred to be back at their rivers."

"Oh, I see." Hikari replied and chuckled. It was pretty hard for her to imagine her brothers to be the son of the Dragon King anyway, Chihiro smiled and watched as Sora left. Zeniba and Rin emerged from their rooms in kimonos, like Hikari Rin grumbled about how stupid she looked. Together they headed off to the dining hall, occasionally laughing and telling each other about how stupid they looked on the way.


	13. A Single Tear

Chapter Thirteen: A Single Tear

Haku was in the prison lying on the ground unconscious. He always was like this after an interrogation. Keiko was slumped against the prison wall, trying to find bits of metal or such that she could use to break out. She considered asking Yoshiro or Natsuko, who were talking about something, to use magic to break out but decided not to. They were probably too weak anyway and she didn't want to make them any weaker.

She wished that Haku hadn't sent Hikari away with that message. Then she could have helped them get away. She screamed as she gingerly touched a cut on her arm, it still hadn't healed and only seemed to be getting larger and bloodier. Natsuko stared at Keiko with great sympathy, wishing that she could do something, but she was too weak to use magic. Haku stirred and his eyes opened suddenly, he was sweating pretty hard and his eyes were fearful. "Just a dream, it was just a dream." He continually told himself. Sighing he looked around, as usual all he found was the prison in which he and his friends were captive.

Yoshiro looked pitifully at his brother. Natsuko finally spoke to break the silence, "I wonder how many spirits are looking for you two? You guys are the sons of the Dragon King, his oldest." The subject had come up when Haku told everyone how his dad had answered that day.

"Knowing father, at least fifty spirits are looking for this place." Yoshiro grumbled unhappily. Keiko looked around, in the dim light the shadows were larger and darker, creating places to hide when you did not want to be seen. Weakly crawling into one of these shadowy places she rested and planned their escape. A single bright flame could be seen moving towards them. Yoshiro and Natsuko grimaced and tried to fall asleep. Voices could be heard in the distance growing louder and louder by the second. The flame flickered and the shadows parted, revealing the things that they hid.

Haku closed his eyes and tried not think about Chihiro, but that was all that he could think about. There were loud shouts as the guards passed by, checking to make sure that they were still there. Keiko shifted to a more comfortable position as she tried to sleep. The many cuts on her face now visible from the light of the torch. Natsuko and Yoshiro both groaned as the light seemed to flood their cells, in the time that had passed their eyes had adjusted to the darkness they were surrounded in.

The guards laughed, and stayed for another twelve minutes before leaving, as the light passed and darkness quickly shrouded them. Another light could be seen headed towards them, Keiko grimaced. A voice that was barely audible reached her ears, "She's sleeping; maybe we should wake her."

"No just carry her he said that the spell would work best if she was asleep." Another voice reached her ears. Haku's eyes immediately opened as he deciphered what the mysterious men where trying to say. He shouted weakly, "Keiko wake up!" Keiko's eyes immediately opened, her eyes flashed angrily as she avoided the grimy hands of the guards. A guard angrily shouted at Haku, and hit him. Alerted by the noise Yoshiro and Natsuko immediately opened their eyes to the horrific scene before them.

Natsuko weakly summoned ice to cover the floor of the prison, she nearly collapsed when the deed was done. The guards slipped whenever the encountered a patch of the silvery ice. Shouting one of them took out a light bluish stone, which was thrown at Natsuko. She screamed in pain when the stone touched her skin and fell to the ground unconscious. He did the same to Haku and Yoshiro, who meet the same fate as their friend. Keiko quickly crawled away from the guards, her eyes fearful.

"No need to fear us," a guard laughed, "we just want to talk to you."

Keiko shouted back, "Oh really, I don't believe you! You will do anything to get what you want, even kill!" The guard smirked and threw a dark indigo stone at her, she nimbly dodged the stone, but it was enchanted and followed her. Keiko, unable to avoid it, was hit by the stone. Screaming as it scorched her skin, she fainted. The guards smiled and picked up her limp form dragging it to the dark room at the end of the hall.

The hooded man looked at Keiko for a second and said, "Bring the dragon, Kohaku. He must also have his memories searched." The guards nodded and dragged the unconscious Haku back with them. The hooded man smiled and started to chant. The blue-grey stone he held in his hands glowed venomously, his own dark red aura surrounding it. Both Keiko and Haku stirred, as the man touched the stone to their skins a strange thing happened. A strand of silky blue essence flew out of Haku and entwined itself on his arm; a stream of ruby blood flew out of Keiko and did the same thing. The man went into a trance.

_Haku was in his dragon form, the day that Chihiro first transformed into a dragon. Keiko was below him, squirming to see what was happening. He was surprised that she had been able to use such a powerful defense. Keiko, not knowing that it was her friend, grumbled about all the people in her way._

_The next day, while Keiko and Chihiro were at school, Haku and his friends were having a meeting in the forests behind Chihiro's house. Zeniba told them that Chihiro was to be trained, that the council had asked to see her. Haku asked when they asked to meet her; the old witch replied that they would meet her soon. Rin mentioned how his parents would react and giggled, he blushed, saying that hopefully they would be pleased with his decision. _

_The image swirled, and Haku was instead at the palace of the Dragon King. He was talking to him and his wife, and instead of addressing them as king and queen he addressed them as father and mother. Yoshiro ran towards them, they then asked a question in unison, if they had a sister named Hikari. Their parents hesitated for a moment before telling them they had. _

_The image swirled again; Haku was with his friends in the forest. They were running towards the school. Keiko was the first to fall unconscious when the Evil One came, the rest fell soon after. Before Haku fainted, he could see Rin and Zeniba running towards him and the others. _

_The image began to fade; a light could be seen in the distance. A portal, the man climbed through and into Keiko's memory. Keiko was sitting near a river, Hikari in her dragon form was swimming past her. "Hikari," Keiko called, "Hikari, come here." The dragon grinned and slithered towards the bank, her emerald eyes flashing intelligently. Her golden mane seemed dry despite the fact that she had been in the water. Keiko grinned when she saw her friend, she lived near the river ever since she was a newborn baby and had always known about the dragon that lived within. Flicking her tail impatiently Hikari motioned for Keiko to mount her, smiling the young girl did. The dragon dived into the water; she swam quickly as the current would allow her, swimming towards the river of her brother. There was something both Hikari and Keiko had to see. Grinning when she found it Hikari swam towards an underwater cave; it was a portal to the Spirit World. _

_She swam through and into a peaceful stream, carrying Keiko above the water so that she could breathe. Keiko quickly climbed off and watched as her friend transformed into her human form, that of a thirteen year-old girl, they had been here before and knew what to do. Hikari quickly plucked a berry off of a nearby bush and handed it to her friend to eat. An ancient building could be seen in front of them, they entered. A silvery aura surrounded Hikari and an amber aura surrounded Keiko as they entered the strange building. _

_A silvery wind seemed to fly around Hikari while an amber one fly around Keiko, protecting them from the protective spells that were put on the building. They entered the central chamber and were greeted by an elderly spirit, "Ah Hikari, you have returned and I see you have brought a friend." Hikari nodded, the elderly spirit smiled. _

"_I suppose you are Keiko, my granddaughter has told me many things about you." The elderly spirit told Keiko. Keiko nodded, the elderly spirit sighed. Hikari opened her mouth to say something, _

"_You do not have to ask Hikari, the scrolls are right here." Hikari looked were the spirit pointed; on the table were six scrolls. Smiling she thanked her grandmother, who chuckled and left, Hikari smiled at her friend. _

"_The information we seek are in these scrolls." Hikari told Keiko. Before they opened the scrolls Hikari murmured a phrase over each of the scrolls, and then the two friends opened them and read. The elderly spirit returned, and smiled when she saw her granddaughter and her friend reading the scrolls so carefully. _

"_So have you found anything interesting yet?" she asked the two girls. _

"_Nothing except that the Dragon of Nature only had six children, all of them borne by dragons, not a single one was borne by a human." Keiko muttered. _

"_I found out the same thing, I also found out that he tested his children to find out which of them would be worthy enough of carrying his powers when he died. None of his children passed, so he didn't pass on his powers." Hikari said. The scroll that she read started to glow a golden light. The same thing happened to Keiko's, except that it flashed four different colors: blue, red, white, and green. _

"_What's going on?" Keiko shouted._

"_I don't believe it, the powers of the Dragon of Nature are being activated and transferred!" Hikari whispered. Her grandmother looked at the scrolls shocked. A milky white opal appeared, Hikari lightly tapped it. It started to glow and a silvery piece of essence flew out of it and towards an unknown place. _

"_We should leave now; we came to do what we were meant to do." Hikari told her friend, Keiko nodded and they left the building. The image swirled and faded into darkness. _

The hooded man opened his eyes, the blood and essence had since returned to their owners. "Take them back," he told the guards, "I have finished searching." He left, smirking; Keiko's memories had told him much about the Dragon of Nature's powers.

Keiko winced in pain as they threw her back into her cell. The memories swirled around her mind as a dream, but there was another part to that memory a part that she had kept from the hooded man, even when unconscious. It was that part that she was dreaming about.

_Hikari lightly touched the opal and it glowed. A silvery essence flew out of it; two scrolls were illuminated by the essence's light. Hikari and Keiko grinned and read those two scrolls. They told about one of the Dragon's children, a girl named Sakura, how she was her father's favorite. How shocked he was when she chose to marry a human. She received a gift from her father, an opal pendent. It was to be given to her daughter and passed on from generation to generation, from mother to daughter. _

_Sakura had a daughter who received the opal pendent, but one day an evil demon approached her. He tried the steal the opal pendent from her, but she was threw the pendent into a nearby stream. The pendent slowly sank to the bottom, but not before being carried away by the current. The demon tired to get the pendent out of the stream, but she cast a spell on the stream, freezing it and making it impossible to get the pendent out. _

_The last passage of the scroll the Keiko was reading revealed important information. It said that one of Sakura's descendents would inherit the pendent along with the powers of the Dragon of Nature, becoming the second one. They would find the frozen stream, protected by many magical charms and spells, and release the pendent from its icy slumber. The last thing it said was that the dragon would be a human but once they had released the pendent they could use its powers to become a normal spirit. _

_Keiko quickly told Hikari what she read and the silvery essence started to glow. The opal started to rock from side to side and was lifted into the air by unseen forces. Strange markings appeared on it, and it flashed red then blue then green then white. Repeating the same pattern over and over again, releasing more of the silvery essence it fell back to the ground, a normal opal. Hikari looked at it curiously and took it, thinking that it could be of great use in the future. The silvery essence swirled around the room, glowing and flashing a brilliant golden light. It then flew out of the room and to an unknown place, flying towards its rightful owner, flying towards the next Dragon of Nature. "We should leave now; we have come to do what we were meant to do." Hikari told her friend, Keiko nodded and they left. Though they didn't know it, as soon as they left the building a spell was cast on them that would make them forget what they saw. _

"Hikari." Keiko shouted when she woke up from her dream.

"What about her?" Yoshiro grumbled. He too had just woken up.

"No, I know her when I was very young. I lived near her river, when it still existed."

"You knew Hikari? Then how come you didn't recognize her when she came here." Yoshiro was puzzled greatly.

"It was when I was very young, we moved away when I was six years old. I hadn't seen her in more than five weeks by then; I thought that she was dead. After that I forgot about her."

"Then what was it that made you remember today?"

"A dream, when I was four years old Hikari and I would go places. One of the places we often went to was the Spirit World."

Yoshiro looked at her in shock, "She took you to the Spirit World? She could have gotten into trouble if someone found out. How did she get you there?"

"Only her grandmother knew, but she never revealed my existence." Keiko told him. "In her river there was a portal that would lead to the Spirit World."

"Then what was the dream about?"

"It was about some scrolls, it had important information in it about the first Dragon of Nature. It also said some things about Chihiro."

Yoshiro looked around, "Don't say such things out loud, I'll tell Haku when he wakes up." Keiko nodded, and looked at Haku with great sympathy.

He was having nightmares about Chihiro as usual, in one dream Chihiro was killed by the Evil One who then took all of her powers. He woke up and screamed, "Chihiro!" Looking around he realized it was a dream. Still breathing quite hard he realized how much he missed her; his ruby bracelet was on the floor. He sighed and gently stroked it, thinking about Chihiro a single tear fell out of his eyes as hoped that she would be okay. Ignoring the shouts that came from his brother, he contacted Chihiro in hopes that she would respond.


	14. In the Moonlight

Chapter Fourteen: In the Moonlight

Chihiro couldn't sleep; a pale moon shone its light upon the restless girl. Her bracelet started to glow and she smiled.

_Haku, um is there a reason why you are contacting me? _She asked.

_Uh none I guess, I just wanted to talk to you. _He replied sheepishly.

_Well I had my first lesson today, Hikari came along; her father asked her to at least according to my teacher. _

_Hmm, that sounds nice of him to let her attend lessons with you. I don't know, it doesn't seem right for some reason, why Hikari? Besides he did abandon her along with my mother, it never occurred to me that he would regret that decision. Well maybe he did, but still he would give her some time to get used to living in the palace before giving her lessons. He always does that, you were an exception though, it was important that you get your training as soon as possible. _

_Well, he did give me a few hours or so to rest and get used to the place. _

_That's not very long; he gave me two weeks before I had my lessons. _

_Oh, now that you mention it, it does seem a bit fishy. Well um you probably don't know, but your dad decided to restore your, Hikari's, and Yoshiro's rivers. _

_Maybe he did regret abandoning her after all; well Yoshiro is nagging me that he has some important things to tell me, I think I will listen to him for a while. Bye then Chihiro. _

_Bye Haku. _Chihiro absentmindedly touched her bracelet. A silvery dust lined it, glistening in the moonlight. Silently one by one they flew into the air, creating a silvery veil. Sleepily she yawned and fell asleep. A lone dragon was seen flying in the moonlight, its golden mane illuminated by the large moon. Gracefully, it flew creating intricate patterns.

Hikari, like Chihiro, had a hard time falling asleep. She liked flying, it helped her calm down a bit. The wind blew past her; her mane flowed gently with it. She flew towards the palace, she was getting tired. She landed in her room and changed back into her human form, yawning she went to sleep. No one noticed a dark dragon heading towards the palace. It smirked as it saw the form of Hikari; it had come to take something from her. A single opal reminiscent of the first Dragon of Nature, sister to the opal of the opal pendent, Hikari had been right when she thought that the opal would be of use in the future. A pale moon shone its spiteful light on the dark dragon, it seemed to plead with those of the palace to wake up and help the young dragon. As the dark dragon touched her, she flinched and moved away from the probing finger.

"Give me the opal, I will put it to better use than you ever could." It whispered in her ears. Hikari grumbled and her eyes suddenly flew open. They flashed angrily in the moonlight when they spotted the dark dragon.

"There's a dark dragon in my room!" She shouted and changed into her dragon form, eager to battle the hated creature. It took a while for Chihiro to understand what her friend was shouting about. Footsteps were heard running towards Hikari's room, inside were two dragons fighting each other. The dark dragon tried to bite Hikari, but she escaped out of the window. Roaring, the dragon followed hungry for blood and essence.

Their battle illuminated by the moon, their blood looked like shining ruby, their essence flowing veils. Blood lined both dragons' fangs and claws as they tried hard to gain an advantage. The dark dragon searched for the opal that Hikari was supposed to have had. Snarling when it did find it, it bit Hikari one more time on the neck and flew away.

Hikari weakly roared happily and flew back to the palace, lack of blood and essence made her faint on the way. A silvery dragon plummeting towards the earth, her faint silvery aura surrounded her form. "I've got you." A dragon murmured when he saw her falling towards him. Instantly changing into his dragon form he caught her. Her eyelids opened to reveal her brilliant emerald eyes; they stared for a moment into his blue ones. Snorting, she flew upwards towards the palace, towards her family, towards her friends. She fell back down, still too weak to fly, and was again caught by the dragon.

The dragon gently nuzzled her and flew her to her family, its eyes flashing happily. It gently placed her in her room, were her parents were waiting for her. They gasped as a single drop of blood fell onto the floor, and Hikari continued to bleed. Quickly she was transported to infirmary, there her wounds were treated.

"Thank you for bringing back my daughter." The Dragon King told the dragon bowing.

Blinking in surprise it replied. _Your daughter, I never knew, well I am just glad that she'll be okay. Bye then milord. _Hard as it was, he bowed and flew away. The silvery wind flowing past him, reminding him of her, sadly he reminded himself that he would not be able to see her again and mourned silently when he got home. In the distance, the dark dragon watched, hissing in distaste at the scene.

"Let them go, there will be other chances to get the opal. You say that she didn't have it, hmm interesting perhaps she hid it. Tomorrow go and search for it, do not fail me." The Evil One told his loyal servant. The dragon nodded and flew away into the darkness and the shadows.

Chihiro stared out into the moonlight, and the darkness beyond it. A large storm cloud was growing on the horizon, lightning streaked it and the occasional faint sound of thunder came from it. Silky clouds flew past the moon, in a hurry to join their brethren. Beyond the cloud somewhere, she knew that there was a dungeon where Haku and the others were trapped within the darkness where light could not reach them.

Rin watched her motionless form for a moment, before shaking her head and heading back to her own room. Chihiro sighed and looked outside one last time; an image of the dark dragon filled her mind. Frowning, she went back to sleep, only to be tormented by the evils that lurked within her dreams.

Hikari, in the infirmary, was reminded by a dream of something in her past.

_Keiko was laughing as Hikari splashed water on her. "Hikari, stop it you're getting me wet!" She shouted happily. Hikari considered her demand for a moment, before splashing her one last time and changing into her human form. She sat on the bank next to her friend; in her hand she could fell something smooth and hard. She did not have to be told what it was, because she knew, a single opal. _

_Hikari showed her friend the opal, "I'm going to hide it, I don't want to lose it or anyone find it and take it from me. Want to help find a good hiding place in my river?" Keiko nodded, and Hikari changed back into her dragon form the opal safely placed in her mouth. Together they swam below the water, occasionally breaching the surface of the river so that Keiko could breathe. Hikari looked around, trying to find a good place to hide it; she searched underwater caves, but could not find a place where the opal would not be swept away by the current. Finally they came to cave that contained the portal to the Spirit World, looking around she was glad to find many tunnels in which to hid the opal. Smiling she picked a random tunnel and cast a spell on it, forbidding anyone, even her, to enter. She threw the opal into the tunnel, and heard a plunk as it settled on the ground. _

_Snorting with satisfaction, she head back towards the bank. Keiko's clothes and hair was wet from the swim. "My mom is going to be so mad when she finds out." Keiko told her friend, smiling. Hikari looked at her thoughtfully and flicked her tail at her friend, she instantly dried. _

"_How did you do that?" Keiko asked amazed. Unable to talk in her dragon form Hikari snorted. _

"_Okay then, tell me tomorrow. Bye Hikari!" Keiko shouted and left. Hikari looked at her friend for a moment and swam away towards her bother's river, Haku was waiting for her there. His emerald eyes looking intelligently into hers, only then did it occur to her that she would away for many weeks and would not return. She had forgotten to tell Keiko! She looked behind her and sighed; shaking her head she followed her brother. _

Hikari suddenly opened her eyes, she remembered the opal. The opal that he was talking about, he wanted to steal her opal! What did he mean by he could put it to better use than she ever could, did it have magical powers? Sora suddenly walked into the room, "So you decided to wake up, I think it would have been better if you stayed asleep and died from your injuries." Hikari rolled her eyes and fell back asleep.

"What I am only telling the truth, you're only a worthless dragon after all." Sora smirked.

"I am the guardian of the opal now leave me alone." Hikari hissed, in the short time that had passed she realized that her opal must be linked with the opal pendent.

"What opal? You a guardian, I think not."

"The opal that is linked to the opal pendent, a gift from the Dragon of Nature to his daughter Sakura so many years ago when she married a human, it was thrown into a river that was frozen for safekeeping."

Sora frowned, "How did you know that Sakura's the Dragon of Nature's daughter? I didn't even know that until now, are you making this up?"

Hikari snorted, "No, read the scrolls of the Dragon of Nature and you'll see. I read them when I was younger." Sora stared at her in shock and stormed out of the room, enraged. Hikari smirked and closed her eyes moments later to be woken again by her father.

"I know that it would be best if you sleep." Her father started. "But I want to know if you really did read the scrolls of the Dragon of Nature. They were hidden in his dwelling place, and protected by magical charms and spells."

Hikari groaned, "Yes I did, with my friend Keiko. A dark spirit approached us one day while we were in the Spirit World and asked us to lead him to the Dragon of Nature."

"A dark spirit approached you? I never knew that."

"Yes a dark spirit approached me, so I was curious about this Dragon of Nature, my grandmother helped me find where the scrolls were located and we read them. I don't want to say what happens next, it's not bad or anything, but I think people like the Evil One would use such knowledge for evil purposes."

"Ah I see, okay then, but how did you get through the building and read the scrolls."

"I put countered those spells and charms with one of my own, Keiko did the same. When we reached the scrolls, I put a spell on them that would freeze anything that would happen if we opened the scrolls."

"Yet you were able to past the last spell, a spell that would erase your memory interesting."

"There was a spell that would erase your memory? I don't think I passed that one, I didn't remember about the building and scrolls until now."

"What caused you to remember?" The Dragon King asked quite worried.

"The dark dragon asked for an opal, it's a special opal that I took from the building. I hid it in a cave in my river, the opal released an essence, and I thought that it might be of use in the future." Hikari said. The Dragon King sighed and left, Hikari had done something that many of her kind could not. She was a special type of dragon, he was sure of it and that would require special training. Sora, who had overheard Hikari's conversation with their father, glared angrily at her sister.

Hikari looked at Sora, who was still looking at her angrily, and shook her head. Haku was right, she was mean and snobbish. Sighing she fell back asleep, Sora looked haughtily at her before walking away, muttering to herself, "I will prove to father that I am better than this Hikari. He did abandon her, and I am going to show him and abandoning him was a good idea."

An elderly spirit saw Sora and smiled, "Talking to yourself again Sora, you must be very angry I suppose." Sora stopped and turned around, frightened. Behind her was Hikari's teacher, his amber eyes were gleaming fiercely.

"Ah you are correct sensei, my apologies I am just leaving." Sora said bowing.

"You are surprised to see me, young one."

Sora hissed in distaste before continuing, "Yes sensei, I shall leave now." When she reached her room she turned around to make sure that he was not following her, she sighed in relief when she saw that he wasn't. She entered her room, and the moonlight illuminated her sleeping form as well as many others that were affected that day.


	15. Link through Dreams

Chapter Fifteen: Link through Dreams

Hikari stared out of her window as she woke up, she was thinking about her river and of a time in the past when Keiko had been her friend. She relived a journey, back to the cave to retrieve the opal through a memory. The journey was only imagined though; her river was in no condition to be swimming in. Thoughts and memories raced around in her mind, chasing each other. She searched for clues, for secrets long hidden by spells, freeing memories chained by magic. Her eyes didn't sparkle; she had fallen into a trance. Though she didn't know it, Keiko too had also fallen into a strange trance. Their breathing stopped as did their heartbeats, any signs of life disappeared. The signs of death were too great to mistaken, and they were thought to be dead.

It was Chihiro who found Hikari in this state, tears streamed out of her eyes as she saw she believed had happened to her friend. It was Chihiro who first mistaken Hikari for dead. Meanwhile, Haku woke to see Keiko; her body slumped against the wall. A single drop of blood hanging from her lips, not a single movement was witnessed though he shouted and cried as loud as he could. It was Haku who first mistaken Keiko for dead.

Meanwhile, in their trance Keiko and Hikari found a hidden link that they had not known had existed.

_"Keiko!" Hikari shouted when she saw her friend. _

_"Hikari! I thought you were dead!" Keiko shouted back truly amazed. _

_"No I forgot to tell you, I was going to visit Haku for some time. Where are you anyway? There are people looking for my brothers and Natsuko, though I am surprised no one mentioned you." _

_"You know, in a dungeon. If anyone should know where we are it should be you. After all you did leave us." _

_Hikari sadly shook her head, "A spell was cast on the dungeon; I couldn't see it from outside." She looked around and instantly recognized where they were, it was her river. A small white cross could be seen by the edge. _

_"For my dragon friend Hikari," she read, "may you rest in peace." Keiko grinned sheepishly when she saw the cross. _

_"Oh I forgot I put that there when you stopped visiting me, I thought that you were dead." Keiko explained, embarrassed. _

_"Ah I see," Hikari said. The river water sparkled like her emerald eyes, flowing ever downward until it joined its brother, the Kohaku. Small waves and crests could be seen above the water, from above it seemed gentle enough to go swimming it. From below you would know that in the center of the river there was an especially strong current that would carry you away before you knew what was happening. Weakened fish and other animals knew to swim closer to the center, and men were always chasing after them only to be swept away by the river. Hikari would do nothing to help them, until the screams became frantic shouts for mercy, then she would carry them to the shores of her river. Keiko looked at her friend, her emerald eyes were looking over her river, she understood how it must feel to be able to see it in such a perfect condition again untainted by humans. A milky light started to emerge from the river, the two friends felt no surprise they knew what was happening unconsciously. _

"Hikari, Hikari, why have you gone." Chihiro sobbed. The thought of her friend dead was too horrific for her. Rin and Zeniba looked at each other; everyone present was in a somber mood, except for Sora. Even though she did not show it, she felt a great sadness that was shared by all and wanted to mourn the passing of her sister though her pride would not allow her to.

"Someone's going to have to tell Haku that his sister died." Zeniba told her. Chihiro looked at her with saddened eyes.

"I'll do it if no one else will." Sora volunteered. "I am not saddened by this event; I'll tell him the news."

"No I will, she was his sister, I think his favorite one. I'll tell him." Chihiro said decisively.

She gently touched her bracelet and thought about Haku. He appeared to be saddened greatly when he replied. _Hello, if you don't mind I am mourning the death of a friend. _

Chihiro hesitated, did Haku know about what happened to his sister? _So you know then? That Hikari is dead? _

_Hikari is dead? No I was talking about Keiko! What happened? _

_I don't know, I just walked into her room and found her, she didn't respond to my touch or word. _

_Same thing happened to Keiko. _

_Wait Keiko's dead! She was my friend ever since fifth grade, when I just moved! We've been especially close friends ever since! _

_I guess it's a sad day for both of us. _Haku finally managed to say.

_Yes I guess you're right, well um bye then. _

_Bye Chihiro. _Chihiro stroked her bracelet, it instantly stopped glowing. A tear fell out of her eyes as they passed over an unconscious Hikari. The Dragon King was overcome with grief when he saw his daughter; his wife felt the same way.

"Oh Hikari, please let this be some sort of prank! Please wake up soon." He cried and shook Hikari. Not a single faint movement could be seen, not a single faint whisper could be heard. Hikari's face was as pale as the moon; it appeared her life-force had left her. Only a body was left, a desolate empty shell of what had been Hikari, a young and friendly dragon. Her mind though was racing with thoughts, as she traveled through a memory and a dream. Keiko shared the same fate, despite Yoshiro and Haku's reckless shouting, nothing would wake her. Natsuko found a stone in her cell and threw it at Keiko, even that didn't wake her. "Keiko you have got to wake up!" Yoshiro shouted. "Keiko you are needed now arise!"

Even the spell that he had just cast had no effect on her, the trance was too powerful. She was trapped in her own mind, in her own thoughts, in her own dreams. "She really is gone." Haku finally managed to whisper. "Oh Chihiro, I have failed you. I was powerless against the force that took your friend, I am sorry." There was silence as Yoshiro sadly watched his depressed brother, tears fell out of his emerald eyes his mind on his beloved.

"I am sorry Chihiro, if I could not protect Keiko then how can I protect you? It would be better if you chose to be with someone else." He said quietly to himself. Despite the tears that they had caused through falling into the trance, they did not wake. Though they could sense the sadness, they would not arise from their trance and break the link. There was something that had to be done first, something that would ensure the future would be happy. That the darkness would be defeated, and the Evil One trapped again.

_The milky light parted to reveal a silvery dragon, its cherry-pink mane billowing in the mane. Keiko and Hikari instantly knew it to be Sakura, ancestor of Chihiro daughter of the first Dragon of Nature, even though nether knew what she looked like. Its golden eyes stared wisely at them; it dived back into the water. It was apparent that she wanted them to follow her. Hikari quickly changed into her dragon form and waited for Keiko to mount her before diving into the icy waters of her river. _

_"I am glad that you decided to come, Chihiro is in great danger. I will show you the means in which to protect her with." Sakura told them. Hikari nodded, Keiko grimly stared ahead. Sakura roared loudly, a barrier was broken and a cave glowed brightly, from it emerged Hikari's opal. _

_"See this opal," she told them, "it will guide you to the opal pendent, I am glad that you created a powerful barrier around the opal, but it will not protect it from the Evil One. His powers are too great, you must find the opal before he does, but that time is not now. When the opal decides to activate its hidden powers, for like the pendent it too is very powerful, then you must search for it." _

_She showed them two more items, it was a glowing ruby and a glowing emerald, "The ruby is the Ruby of Phoenixes; the emerald is the Emerald of Dragons. Both are in their purest forms, you will be able to use them in the upcoming battle. I must leave as I am needed elsewhere. Protect Chihiro, if she dies than the darkness will rule." Sakura swam away, leaving Hikari and Keiko staring after her. They rose to the surface, so that Keiko could breathe. Her clothes were damp when they arrived at the riverbank; strangely Hikari's clothes were also wet. A bright light flashed between them and they could fell something pulling them back, back to their friends. _

Hikari's eyes suddenly opened, no one noticed when she pulled herself into a sitting position. Her emerald eyes looked around her, and found that all her friends were with her. Silently she walked past her crying friends and outside into the hallway, where her teacher was waiting for her. "Ah Hikari, I am glad to see that you are okay." His voice startled her.

She quickly found herself staring into the eyes of her teacher, "Ah… oh you scared me sensei."

"Did I? Then you are easily surprised."

Hikari became instantly suspicious, "Why are you here?"

"I heard rumors that you were dead and wanted to see for myself whether you were really dead. Guess you weren't, perhaps a trance then. Well then, there are other things I must do good-bye." Hikari watched as her teacher left, she sighed in relief. She was always very nervous for some reason when he was around. Something about him made her uncomfortable.

"Oh Hikari you really aren't dead." Chihiro shouted behind her, she hugged her friend. "I was so worried!"

"I know you were crying really hard." Hikari said.

"Oh Hikari, I am glad that you are alive." Her father told her. "Please, do not scare me like that again."

"Okay then, I'll try to warn you when I think I am going to go into a trance." Her father nodded happily.

"Oh great, so you really weren't dead after all I was hoping you were." Sora said disappointed. She stopped after her father glared at her. Bowing she left.

Meanwhile in the dungeon, Yoshiro shouted ecstatically, "Keiko! You're awake!"

Keiko glared at him angrily, "Of course I am, since when did you start caring if I awakened or not."

"We thought you were dead," Natsuko calmly explained, "you didn't react to our shouts or even flinched when I threw a rock at you."

"You did what!" Keiko looked at her arm; there was a small bruise where the rock had hit her, "Why in the world would you throw a rock at me?"

"You weren't responding to our shouts, I just wanted to see if you were really dead."

"Well I'm not; I had just fallen into a trance that revealed some very important information. I saw Hikari, and Sakura. Sakura's the first Dragon of Nature's favorite daughter in case you didn't know."

Haku frowned, "Chihiro mentioned that Hikari too was in a state very similar to yours. I suppose you both slipped into a trance at the very same time. Was she with you when you learned this information?" Keiko nodded enthusiastically.

"Then she would have seen the things you did and know the things that you know now." Yoshiro said thoughtfully. "Whatever you saw, you are in great danger. They will want to learn what you saw in your trance."

Keiko sighed, "I think they might already know some things, I believe that they were able to look inside one of my memories. It was one of when I was little; Hikari and I went to the Spirit World to find out about the Dragon of Nature. They must have learned what I read and the things that we discussed." Her friends turned silent as they considered what she said. Darkness surrounded them as the flames flickered on the walls, casting eerie shadows and visions of darkness and hatred. They looked at each other, all of their eyes fearful of what laid ahead in their futures.


	16. A Promise made by Death

Chapter Sixteen: A Promise made by Death

Sakura sat on the grassy hills above her gentle river, its crystal waters flowing past small silvery fish darted here and there. Below her was a group of children playing in the river, splashing and swimming. She sighed and walked away, she was no longer welcome here. To other spirits and humans, she was dead.

Though she had managed to escape death and come back, other spirits still ran away from her in fear. Thinking that she was a spirit raised into life by the Evil One to do his bidding, a milky opal pendent hung on her neck. Her father had given it to her when she died; its sister pendent lay in a river frozen by her offspring. _Well it couldn't hurt to spend some time in my river. _She thought to herself. Smiling she walked back to her river, silently she stepped in. The current welcomed her as changed into her dragon form. The wind blew blissfully; everything was perfect though it wouldn't last.

She swam along, making sure everything was perfect. She growled when a child threw an aluminum can into her river. Pulling the water around her she created a strong wave that pushed the can back onto the shore. "Mommy, daddy, look the river put my can back on the ground!" the little child screamed.

His parents smiled, "Maybe you did something to anger the river spirit and that's why he put your can back on the ground."

Sakura growled beneath the waves. _It's she you baka humans! _ Sighing, she swam to the shore to watch the children. Her silvery scales flashed in the sunlight, her golden eyes small suns. She swam near the shore thinking; her cherry-pink mane glistened in the river. A child spotted her.

"Mommy I see a dragon." The child shouted. Snorting she swam back towards the center of the river, she didn't want anyone to know that she was there. The opal started to glow and flash a milky light, growling she thought to herself. _Take me where I am needed. _A milky light surrounded her as she was teleported to the entrance of the palace of the Dragon King. The guards stopped her when she tried to pass.

She changed into her human form and shouted, "Let me through! It's urgent! The king must know Chihiro is in great danger!"

"Oh really, then how do we know that you aren't planning to kill her. We know that you're dead, dragon." One of the guards looked at her.

"I am Sakura, daughter of the first Dragon of Nature and Chihiro's ancestor! I wouldn't dare kill one of my own decedents!"

"The first dragon of nature didn't have any children and even if he did how do we know that you aren't impersonating her."

Sakura's golden eyes flashed angrily, the opal that lay on her chest started to flash angrily. Silvery fumes surrounded it, and Sakura shouted, "The opal that you see before you was given by my father to me when I died! His powers lie in it, as do some of my powers! Take it if you need proof!" She handed her pendent to the guard. There was a greedy flash in his eyes as she handed it to him.

"I need to further verify that this really is from the first Dragon of Nature, this should only take a few minutes." He said.

"If you don't return the opal to me, you will face the consequences. I will warn you, the opal is as powerful as its sister that lies in the frozen river. It is as powerful as the Emerald of Dragons and Ruby of Phoenixes combined if not more powerful. There are dangers in taking such powers for greedy purposes." The guard nodded and left, his treasure in his hand. Carefully he yanked the opal off of the gold necklace and replaced it with a normal opal. His treasure started to flash, he shouted blinded by the light. It continued to flash and he found that he could not move his foolishness had led to his fate.

He knew that within minutes he would die, he quickly replaced the normal opal with the pendent opal. Multi-colored mists swirled around the opal, the dragon wasn't lying. He handed it back to her and allowed her to pass. She thanked him before putting it back on and changing into a dragon. She flew away towards the palace; shouts alerted her to a battle that was taking place. She quickly found the source of the screams; a dark dragon was attacking Chihiro and Hikari. With a single swift move, Hikari quickly dodged the dragon's attack and hit him with her tail. Distracting him, while Chihiro sent a stream of swirling icy water and blazing fire towards the dragon, he screamed in pain when it hit him in the chest.

Sakura smiled, they were doing well against the dragon. Hikari's claws swiped at the dragon's throat leaving five large bloody furrows. His face contorted in pain, he lashed out with his tail sending both Hikari and Chihiro plummeting down to the earth. Grunting, Sakura surged forward and shoved the dark dragon towards the ground. Her golden eyes flashing angrily and her opal pendent glowing with a pale silver light, she challenged the dark dragon with a deafening roar. Snarling, the dark dragon rose and flew towards it.

The dark dragon's ruby eyes were immediately attracted to the opal pendent. _You're the daughter of the first Dragon of Nature are you not? _He hissed angrily at her.

_Yes I am I see that you have figured it out. _Sakura looked at him angrily, her opal pendent glowing ever brightly. Her sharp fangs illuminated by the clear sunlight streaming through the fluffy clouds. She carefully watched the dark dragon, especially its tail which seemed to be snaking towards her. Sakura shifted to her left to avoid his attack.

_Your opal pendent alerted me to who you are. Though you must know where the other opal pendent is located, tell me and your descendent and her friend will be spared. _

_ Spared? I think not! No, I will not tell you even if I did know where it happened to be. _His face formed a wretched snarl as he dived towards Sakura. Quickly she soared into the clear blue skies, and whipped the dark dragon with her tail. The dark dragon looked at her and bit her tail. She screamed in the pain caused by it and watched in horror as blood and essence started to trickle down the fangs of the dragon. Thinking quickly she bit the dragon's throat and clawed at his chest.

The dark dragon winced in the pain caused, but would not let go of Sakura's tail. Her eyes flashing dangerously, she used magic to summon ice which was thrown at the dragon. Howling, he let go of her now bloody tail. The heavy ice fell down to the earth, carry the dragon with it and splintered at the bottom into thousands of tiny ice slivers though the dragon remained trapped in the icy prison, unable to free itself from the crystal cave. Its fiery red eyes searched for an escape and venomously flashed when it spotted Sakura flying towards her. She was laughing, her fangs glistening in the sunlight. A dark red liquid dripping from it, he knew it to be blood his own.

The dark red liquid formed a pool, mixing with the ice water that had melted. The more times it mixed with the ice water, the lighter it turned. Soon it was a lovely shade of cherry-pink, the shade of Sakura's mane. Her eyes flashed intelligently, as she summoned water aiming it expertly at the ice. Using the water to carry the icy cave, she threw it into the distance. Pleased with her work she flew towards Hikari and Chihiro who had been watching her.

She glanced behind them at Sora, who was watching her carefully in case she decided to attack. Together they changed back into their human forms at the same time. Sakura watched as Hikari gasped, she knew that she recognized her. "Hello Hikari," Sakura greeted her. "I am pleased to see that we finally have the chance to meet in person."

Hikari bowed before her, "As am I Sakura."

Her golden eyes meet Chihiro's and she smiled, "Hello Chihiro, I am also glad to meet you. I know of your position in this war so you need not tell me. Be warned though the Evil One has many ways of finding you and taking your powers. Choose your friends wisely, not all are what they say they are."

Chihiro nodded, "Um how do you know me?"

Sakura smiled, "I have ways of finding out, and I happen to know much about you. Just so you know I am Sakura, though I am sure your friend could tell you how I am related to you."

Hikari faced Chihiro, "She's the daughter of the Dragon of Nature and she's your ancestor."

"You're the daughter of the Dragon of Nature?"

Sakura sadly nodded, "Yes, I am or at least was."

Hikari became confused, "Was?"

Sakura nodded, "Our father, who didn't want us to be found out and used against him, killed us. He used his powers to summon the strongest fire possible and made each of us walk through it. We died while walking through the fire, but before we walked through he gave us each an opal pendent that would protect our spirits from the evils that we would face in death. He also made us promise to protect our offspring when they are in danger. It is that promise that brings me here today."

"Oh I see; then I suppose you are here to protect me, though um do you return to 'death' if you fulfill your promise?" Chihiro wondered.

"Yes, I will join my siblings in the other world, the world of death. You go there after you die, though you can be called upon and return back to the Spirit World or the Human World if you are needed." Chihiro nodded, and watched nervously as Rin and Zeniba approached them. Sora followed closely behind.

"Oh, hi Sora we were just talking to Sakura." Hikari told her.

"I know who she is baka, hello Sakura. It was nice of you to come here though I assure you, you are not needed there are plenty of people willing to protect Chihiro." Sora said.

"Oh really then where were those people when Chihiro and Hikari were weakened by the dark dragon. Oh sure you were there, but you seemed quite afraid to approach, much less attack, the dark dragon." Sakura politely countered.

"I was going to transform into my dragon form and defend Chihiro and Hikari, if you hadn't barged in and defended them."

"You didn't appear to be transforming, you were edging away from the fight. Anyway this conversation bores me; I think that I will leave soon."

"Please stay Sakura; I was hoping to discuss some important matters with you." Sakura turned around to see the Dragon King walking towards her.

She bowed politely, "I will then milord."

"Okay then its settled I will arrange a room for you to stay in for the time being."

Still bowing Sakura replied, "Thank you milord." She stopped bowing, and left with Chihiro and Hikari. Sora grimaced and left in the direction of the palace gardens. A ruby bird watched as it soared in the sky; a tiny grin appeared on its face as it swooped down and landed on Sakura's shoulder. It stared at her with its beady red eyes.

Sakura grinned, "Go back little phoenix, you are not needed here." Chirping loudly it flew back into the air, Chihiro stared at it in wonder she had never seen a phoenix before. Its glorious ruby and gold feathers seemed to mirror the brilliance of the sun in every which way. Its eyes glistened with the wisdom of many years. There was a faint scent of smoke about it, and the wind blew merrily as the bird leapt into its outstretched arms.

Sakura could sense the wonder that Chihiro felt, it was rare to see a phoenix in the palace she supposed it carried an important message for the king, or perhaps it had come to see Chihiro. They were creatures of great wisdom and hardly dared leave their cities unless they were in great danger. There were a few instances where the phoenixes would help the dragons in one of their many wars, but they were generally peaceful creatures.

Sakura walked into her assigned room, and looked outside the window. The phoenix was flying merrily in the air, asking Sakura to join him in his wondrous flight. Below him was Sora, sitting in the garden crying. Sakura frowned and changed into a dragon before flying outside to join the phoenix, who was now swooping towards Sora.

He warbled twice to get Sora's attention. She petted it when she saw the beautiful bird. Sakura landed next to the phoenix who was sitting above Sora picking at some of the flowers. She changed back into her human form and gently picked up the phoenix. "What's bothering you young one?" She asked. "What is it that troubles you?"

Sora's emerald eyes glanced into her golden ones sadly, "I am only telling you because something about you makes me trust you. Many things trouble me, but the thing that troubles me most is my parents don't appreciate me anymore."

"Of course they appreciate you Sora, what parent wouldn't appreciate their child." Sakura assured her. "I am sure that your parents are quite proud of your achievements."

"That's the problem I don't have any achievements, I haven't done anything special like Haku or Hikari. That's probably why my parents abandoned her in the first place, they thought that she wouldn't amount to much but she has. The only thing I have done right is happening to be my parent's first daughter. That's probably why they haven't abandoned me yet."

"I am sure your parents would have abandoned you even if you were their first daughter if they thought that you weren't special. I am sure that there is something that you are good at, something that made your parents want to keep you the day that you were born."

"Well I guess you're right, I guess that I am special in some way. Thanks Sakura, I feel a lot better now."

"You're welcome."

"Um Sakura, could you stay with me for a moment? I don't want to go inside right now, but I don't want to spend time in the garden alone. It gets kind of lonely and I don't have any friends."

"Of course Sora, I'll be your friend." Sora instantly smiled and the two friends walked through the garden, admiring the flowers and the sweet scents they created. The phoenix followed closely behind, chirping happily and occasionally singing.


	17. A Hidden Memory

Chapter Eighteen: A Hidden Memory

Sora looked outside of her window at the garden below; her hair billowed in the gentle breeze. A phoenix screeched proudly as it soared into the air creating fantastic aerial maneuvers. Its fiery feathers flowed gracefully with the breeze, creating thin trails of light smoke as it flew. It was a beautiful sight to watch, and she savored every minute of it. The blue sky spanned countless miles around the phoenix, unbroken except by a few stray clouds. The sun shone proudly above them, its light filling the world with an endless array of colors. Steady footsteps could be heard in the hall, without thinking she guessed that her father had come to talk to her.

Sora turned around and faced the Dragon King. "Hello Sora," he greeted her kindly, "Sakura said that you seemed pretty quiet today so I thought that I should come and talk to you. Is there something bothering you?"

"No I'm fine, nothing's bothering me." She told him. Thoughts whirled in her mind and she desperately hoped that Sakura hadn't told her father what she had heard. There were things that were meant to be kept a secret and what she told Sakura was one of those things.

"Are you sure?" her father asked in a worried tone. "You do seem quite quiet, and you really haven't talked much today or yesterday."

"No I'm fine; I assure you nothing is wrong with me." Her rising voice signaled to her father that it was her wish that she would be left alone.

"As you wish Sora, I'll leave then." With a troubled expression he silently walked away. Sora looked outside and frowned, the phoenix had left and everything was dark. Looking up towards the sky she saw the cause of the sudden darkness, a large black storm cloud covered the sky stretching as far as the eye could see and even further. Though she did not know it, the cloud blanketed the entire earth and people in the human world were puzzling over it. Lighting flashed across the sky, bolts of electricity that illuminated both heaven and earth a great lantern that glowed with powerful light when all was dark.

The wind whistled dark warnings about the possible futures of the world, all of them dark and forbidding. Sora shivered with the great fear that had enveloped all who were present, a soft whistle behind her made her turn around. A phoenix looked up at her with sad ruby eyes, its feathers were covered with a delicate layer of ice and frost, their fiery glow subdued to dull lifeless reds and yellows. "Oh you poor thing," Sora cried sympathetically, "here I'll close the window so that you can't get any colder!" She shut the windows and watched as the phoenix tried hard to warm itself by breathing fire all over its frozen body. The ice and frost slowly trickled to the floor in the form of small wet water droplets, the phoenix screeched in searing pain that was caused by the water. The ordeal seemed to last a lifetime and finally it stopped; the phoenix stopped breathing fire over itself. Its sad ruby eyes seemed to plead for mercy in a time of great darkness. He sensed fear, as Sora could clearly see, and felt it himself. These times only meant trouble for his kind and others. They were peace-loving creatures, the only weapons with which they could arm themselves with was their wisdom. They both knew that it would not be enough to protect the vast cities of great beauty from which the phoenixes inhabited.

Forever lost to the world would be books of great learning, never again would their rich flowing script be read to others they would appear nothing more that great mountains of coal black ash. The wisdom and wit hidden inside their creamy pages would be gone, forever gone the great libraries of the phoenixes. Their wisdom that had spanned countless centuries shattered in a million fragments that would be impossible to put back together. To other creatures they would be worthless piles of dust and ash, though to the phoenixes they were the ancient wisdom of many years forever gone. They would weep over this loss; no one phoenix could bear such great a grief. They would mourn, their tears forming endless rivers from which new dragons could sprout and inhabit.

From within his sad eyes, laden with many years of wisdom, the phoenix told a story. "I know," Sora managed to whisper, "I too would weep if that were to happen; I too would fight to protect such things. They are the jewels of the world, others see nothing but books, pages filled with darkened words. Though I see stories and the wisdom of countless ages of experiments and observations, stories filled to the brim with great adventures and travels." The phoenix screeched in approval, its eyes clear and lucid. A moment of understanding had passed, a moment of agreement from both sides phoenix and dragon.

Their eyes shined with an abnormal light, their joy in finding something that both loved and understood clear from the happy countenances on their faces. Sakura unconsciously interrupted it when she entered the room, closely followed by Hikari and Chihiro. Sora quickly managed her usual scowl of disapproval when they entered; it was her wish that her weaknesses be hidden from the rest of the world. Though she had many who called themselves her friends, only a few chosen knew her secrets and why she acted the way she did. Sakura and the phoenix were one of them; she hoped desperately that Sakura hadn't told ether Hikari or Chihiro.

"Oh Sakura, why did we have to come here," Hikari screamed, hiding the true reasons why they had come well, "I don't want to spend time with Sora! I know enough about her already, she's a mean, snobby, and stupid dragon that doesn't have any feelings, that's why she likes to hurt others! I don't want to spend time with her; she can go into the final abyss of death for all I care!" Sora felt hurt, though she hid it well, her feelings were shattered and inside she felt like crying. Though she looked like she didn't care what was being said about her, her lips wobbled a bit and her eyes quickly filled with tears.

_Oh Hikari, you have gone too far. _Chihiro thought to herself as she looked at Sora. Sakura thought the same thing when she too looked at Sora. Hikari looked at Sora sympathetically and whispered, "I'm sorry Sora; I really didn't mean that."

"Leave me alone!" Sora screamed angrily a few tears fell out of her eyes and onto the floor. "Just leave me alone, all of you! Just get out right now." Hikari, Chihiro, and Sakura bowed and left. The phoenix looked at Sora and followed the trio out her room. Tears streamed out of her eyes, creating a pool of water around her. Their crystal clarity caught the lamplight in every way, shimmering like a thousand stars trapped deep within. Though few knew it, Sora hadn't always been this way; she was once a carefree child with little worries. Then one day it changed, her mind wandered back to that day as she buried her head deep within her soft white pillow and wept.

_Sora was chasing after her brothers in a game of tag, she was it. "Come on Sora you'll have to be faster than that if you want to catch us!" Haku encouraged her. Yoshiro nodded, Sora laughed her emerald eyes sparkling with childhood happiness. _

_"Oh I'm just getting started!" She said. _

_"Oh I'm just getting started!" Yoshiro mocked her. Within that very second, Sora used her supernatural speed to catch up with her brother, punching him in his arm. _

_"You should have heeded my warning Yoshiro, now you're it!" Sora happily screeched and ran away from her gaping brother as fast as she could._

_"Sora's right Yoshiro; catch us if you can." Haku shouted. Sora's giggling quickly turned into happy laughter as Yoshiro ran to catch up with her. No one noticed a dark shadow that was creeping ever closer. Sora quickly stopped and Yoshiro lightly touched her, the wind had shifted to the east in the direction of the danger that was fast approaching. _

_"Sora, you're it." He happily shouted and ran away. Sora didn't hear her brother and ran towards a large oak tree, a dark dragon shot out of the bushes and quickly tried to bite her. Haku noticed and ran towards his sister. Yoshiro too ran towards his brethren, the dark dragons' ruby eyes flickered with an evil light. He charged towards the siblings. _

_"You are too easy." He hissed at the frightened children. His eyes closed, Haku unconsciously summoned a wall of flowing water to protect them. It surprised him that he had this ability, it was the first time he had ever used magic._

_He reacted quickly though, "Run!" Yoshiro and Sora followed his instructions immediately. _

_"Fool," the dark dragon laughed, "you think that you will be able to defend your siblings by yourself. You won't last a second against a great and powerful dragon like me. Killing you will be both an easy task and a pleasure." Hissing loudly he broke through the barrier and flew straight at Haku, his menacing fangs gleaming with an unnatural bloody light. Again he summoned water to protect himself against the attack, but the dark dragon was right as it was not enough to defeat him. Swiftly he shoved Haku into the ground laughing at his screams for mercy. Shouting, Sora ran towards her fallen brother, clear blue tears freely falling out of his eyes. _

_"Sora no, don't do it!" Yoshiro screamed and tried to restrain his sister, but to no avail. Sora ran towards Haku and blocked the dark dragon's path. _

_"If you want to get to my brother you'll have to get through me first!" She screamed boldly. _

_"No Sora, please listen to Yoshiro." Haku weakly murmured._

_"Your brother is right," the dark dragon smirked, its claws flexing as if getting ready for a kill, "the current situation is too dangerous for you. You should just run along and play with your friends; this is no place for a little girl like you." _

_"Don't you dare offend me, and while you kill my brothers? Not a chance, I will protect them while I still have to ability to fight!" Sora's eyes blazed with an angry light, it grew and soon a brilliant emerald surrounded her. _

_Haku watched his sister's sudden transformation with great worry, "Don't do this Sora, you don't know what you're getting yourself into." _

_"Hmm this shall be interesting and I know exactly how to defeat you young one." The dark dragon's eyes blazed with excitement, its ruby mane gently flowed with the breeze snapping like a thousand whips. Sora watched carefully for her opponent's first move, when it didn't come she started to relax a bit. Then it begun, a great pain exploded in her mind. She was blinded by a great red flame that had suddenly appeared in front of her; she shut her eyes to avoid being blinded and instantly regretted it. _

_It was as if she had stepped into another world, but it was a world of darkness and hate. All light that had ever existed was gone, death was present everywhere. Haku lay in front of her, weak and unable to move. A long bloody scratch along his left cheek, he screamed in great pain as a silvery light shrouded him. She tried to run towards him and ease his pain, but she found that she could not move only watch. A silvery tear slid down her cheeks. "No Haku, please be all right." She cried, though no sound came out. The world swirled and she found herself in another place and time. In front of her stood Haku and Yoshiro, both had severe injuries running along the length of their arms and legs. Weakened by the lack of blood and energy they were barely able to stand. Yet they fought with all of their strength to defeat the dark opponent that stood in front of them, but defeat was inevitable and they knew it. Both fainted at the same time, and were killed by a large energy blast that sprouted from their opponents hands. _

_Blood trickled out of their mouths to create small streams of red liquid. Sora again tried to run towards them and found that she could. Then she faced the dark opponent, but to her great surprise they had disappeared, and so had her brothers. She was alone in a dark world; there was no light and no one to help her. A harsh voice addressed her, "So Sora you have seen what I can do. Do you still choose to stand by your brothers in this time of war?" _

_"Of course I do, they're my brothers and I stand by them no matter what!" Sora snapped angrily. _

_A laugh emerged from behind her, "Then your brothers will be the first to leave this world of life and enter the world of death. Your fate too will be the same, unless you join me in this fight. Come to my side as queen, your powers are both impressive and powerful. Fight with me and your brothers will be spared."_

_"You wouldn't dare kill them; they are the greatest dragons ever to live. Show your face you coward." _

_"That I can not do, but there is something that I can do. That is to kill your brothers now and leave you to mourn them for the rest of your pitiful life, or you can join me and they shall not be harm in the upcoming war." _

_Sora considered it for a moment and quickly decided upon a plan, "I don't care what happens to the; kill them if you wish or leave them alone if you wish." _

_"Hmm I see; then I shall kill them." The dark voice replied. _

_Sora hesitated for a moment before replying, "Fine then…"_

_"Though I will come back to see if you really do care about them, prove me wrong and I shall take you as queen by force and kill your brothers." Sora opened her eyes to find the dark dragon gone; Haku had managed to stand up and was looking at Sora strangely. As she stared into his emerald eyes, a decision was quickly made on how to protect her brothers. _

_"Sora are you okay? You look a bit sick." He told her. _

_"Yah fine whatever." Sora replied crossly. _

_"Then what about we continue our game of tag, you're it." Yoshiro said, grinning. _

_"No, why would I want to play tag with you guys? After all I'd probably get myself dirty from the way that you guys play." _

_Yoshiro and Haku looked at each other, puzzling over the strange behavior of their sister. "Sora, are you sure you're okay?" Haku asked her. _

_"Yah fine just leave me alone okay!" She screamed. _

_"Okay jeez you don't have to be so mean!" Yoshiro told her and parted to let her leave. Haku and Yoshiro looked at her one more time, trying to figure out what had made her this way. _

Sora shuddered inwardly as the memory flooded back to her. The horror of seeing her brothers dead, and the horror of Haku's injuries were just too real for her to relive. Then the thought of their current condition made her cry even more. No one knew about that day except for her, everyone else present had been mind wiped as so they would not be able to remember what happened. She alone carried the burden of the memory, and it had forever maimed her in a way that could not be seen.

Sora heard footsteps approach and supposed that they ether belonged to Sakura or her father. The footsteps passed by her room and she sighed with relief. Whoever had just passed by weren't looking for her. She walked outside the hallway, and quickly noticed something strange on the floor. It was a note written on snowy white paper, Sora wondered who had left or dropped it there. She bent to pick it up to see that it wasn't addressed to any particular person. Though when she tried to read what it said, she found that she couldn't see any words. It was apparent that this letter was magically protected to prevent unwelcome eyes from gazing onto the important message it held. Grimacing she headed off in the direction of the central chamber where she was sure her father was. She didn't notice a dark dragon quickly slip into the shadows so that it would not be spotted, nor did she notice the glowing red eyes that were watching and anticipating her every move.


	18. For Whom the Letter Opens

Chapter Eighteen: For Whom the Letter Opens

Chihiro and Hikari walked swiftly to the Central Chamber; they had been summoned urgently by the king. Their faces and expressions grim nether talked to the other, in the shadows behind them a dark dragon lurked. His eyes were intent on the two dragons; he smiled as he focused his eyes on one. The one for whom the letter was addressed. A dark mist surrounded him, when it faded it revealed an empty patch of space were a dark dragon had once stood. Zeniba quickly joined the two friends as they walked towards the Central Chamber, "What do you think would have caused the Dragon King to summon us in great haste?"

"If he found where Haku and Yoshiro were located then he would have summoned us in great haste." Hikari curtly replied. "Though I don't think that was the reason why my father summoned us, I believe that the messenger that was sent for us said something about a dangerous item being found in the palace. I only hope that no one is hurt." Chihiro nodded as Hikari shared her feelings. Zeniba nodded, no one noticed a pair of red eyes watching them. A dark dragon hid in the shadows and watched the three with ever attentive eyes, he smiled she was still among her friends unaware of her future and the message that the letter concealed from unwelcome eyes. Hikari sensed a presence as they passed by the dragon, when she turned to look around she saw no one. Chiding herself for being so afraid she ran to join up with her friends.

The dark dragon smiled, glad that she had not noticed him. A mist of darkness swirled in front of him and a hooded figure stood in front of him. "Is she with them?" he asked.

The dragon bowed before his master and dutifully answered, "She is among them milord, I could sense her presence as she passed by. It seems that the other will also be present when the letter opens."

"That doesn't matter! As long as the one I want is there, the plan will work. The letter too will apply to the other; she too may have to make a decision. Go forth my servant and make sure that she does not leave." The hooded figure faded and into the darkness that had started to envelope him.

"Of course milord, I will do as you bid." The dragon murmured respectfully. His ruby eyes gleaming, he silently and secretly followed the trio.

When they arrived at the Central Chamber, Chihiro was surprised to see Sora standing next to her father. Both were extremely tense and Sora was holding a piece of plan white paper in her hand, when they arrived she set it down on a nearby table. "I am glad that you have arrived," the Dragon King announced, "Sora has found something and brought it to my attention. It may look like a simple letter, but Sora immediately found that she could not read it as no words appeared. This is a dangerous item, what it contains is hard to say, and I could only guess a handful of people for whom it may be addressed to."

"Hmm this is something that our enemies would do." Zeniba said thoughtfully. "Its purpose though unclear may have harmful effects upon us in general; I say that it would be best that we rid ourselves of it."

"Under normal circumstances I would of, but I need to know what the letter says. I believe that it may hold important clues as to what our enemy is planning."

"You are right milord." Zeniba said humbly.

"I wonder who it is addressed to." Chihiro wondered.

"I don't mean to frighten you," the Dragon King said tersely, "but it is very possible that you were meant to receive the letter."

"I know, knowing the Evil One he would most likely want to weaken me in some way so that he could access my powers."

"True, but perhaps is there another reason why the letter is sent? We don't even know if the Evil One actually sent this letter, it could be one of the dark dragons sending it to warn us about an attack that they plan on using latter." Hikari quickly pointed out.

"You have point my daughter," her father sighed, "now starts the difficult task of finding who it was addressed to and the purpose of this letter. It could be sent to any one of us, and there are a number of different reasons as to why it was sent in the first place. Though I am pretty sure that it is addressed to nether Sora or myself as I couldn't read what it said either." A dark dragon silently spied on their conversation, it was important that he relay the information to the Evil One as he would want to know.

"Father, have you ever considered that perhaps whoever left it here purposely left the letter here so that we could find it?" Sora questioned. "Perhaps the letter is a distraction so that they may carry out some wicked plan aimed at destroying us all."

"If that's the case then the attack should be going on now," Hikari thoughtfully answered, "though I don't hear any screaming and running that would prove that something was attacking."

"Perhaps the attack hasn't happened at the moment. Then again perhaps the attack is happening, but perhaps they are attacking a portion of the palace that is least inhabited. There is a large library located here, and few have traveled there. Many rare books and scrolls are located there; perhaps they wanted to learn more about the Dragon of Nature and his powers."

"Ah but you forget that the Evil One faced the Dragon of Nature in the final battle, so he should know about his powers. If anything he should be looking for powerful stones and other magical devices that would somehow serve his needs, whatever they may be." There was silence as everyone considered what information the letter might hold and what its purpose was. Sakura passed by the Central Chamber and was surprised to see that the Dragon King and a few others were inside. She frowned, something bad had obviously occurred. Swiftly and silently she walked down the hall towards her room.

Suddenly she stopped; she sensed it, the feeling like she was being watched by an evil force. She turned around but could see no one; her golden eyes expertly scanned the area and found movement within the shadows. Smiling she walked towards the corner between the wooden walls. She lightly felt the area; put to her surprise she felt the hard smooth wood beneath her fingers. Frustrated she walked away muttering to herself. _I wonder if the Dragon King knows about his little "guest"? He probably doesn't, I should tell him. Though now would not be a good time, but what if it's too late. I should just watch to see what happens and then act if something bad happens. _Sakura thought to herself.

She walked back and hid herself behind the screen door to both watch what was happening and listen to what was being said. Chihiro quietly spoke to her companions, "Both Sora and Hikari have a point, there may be more to this letter than it seems. I think we should first see if this letter was addressed to any one of us before we act."

"I don't think that would be a good idea." Zeniba told her. "Remember the letter could be used to somehow weaken one of us. The Evil One wants Chihiro's powers and will do everything within his powers to get to it that includes hurting one of us and forcing her to give up her powers."

"Yes and there is also a danger of other dangerous spells being woven into the letter," Sora reminded everyone, "I don't think that opening the letter is a good idea. At least not now, first we must make sure that there are no other spells besides the one protecting it that has be woven within the letter itself in some way. If we find it safe or if we manage to put some sort of spell that would block whatever spells were cast on it, then we should open it."

"I agree with you Sora," Hikari said calmly, "I wouldn't open it, and there's another reason. It may not be information that this letter holds but a portal to our very minds. The Evil One would gladly want to know our secrets so that he could weaken us or perhaps somehow take Chihiro's powers from her." Zeniba nodded, and Sora stared at her sister in surprise.

Chihiro looked around at her friends and angrily shouted, "What could there be to be afraid of? Sure there could be dangerous spells cast on the letter, but it our powers should be powerful enough to block and protect ourselves from its effects! If it does happen to be a mortal within our minds we could get some sort of object that could counter it and therefore protect us! I don't know what you're so scared about! If it was a normal letter you wouldn't be this scared, this letter is normal except for the fact that it has some sort of spell that only allows whoever it was addressed to open it. How do you know that it's not from the Evil One and perhaps from Haku or one of the others? Surely they would have the power and knowledge to create one of these, so just stop acting unreasonably!"

"Yes but still we have to be careful," Hikari told Chihiro, "all of us are curious as to what is in the letter, but we are currently in a situation that forces us to be careful. Spells are cast on items for a reason; if your grandmother sends you a letter she would not magically protect the letter unless it holds information that only you are to see. Because of the spell that was put on this letter and of the situation that we are currently in, we must be wary of it and the information it holds." Her father nodded approvingly at her words, they were said with both reason and thought.

"You're right Hikari, I was just impatient. Though I wonder, is there a way to see if the letter was sent by Haku or one of the others?"

"There are ways to see who this letter is from, though without the addressee of this particular letter it will be hard to find out who sent it. The methods used are both long and difficult so I wouldn't suggest them." Sora said grimly. The shadows behind them shifted to reveal the tip of a long thin black tail, though no one noticed it. The dark dragon quietly hissed with distaste and pulled its tail back into the cover of the shadows. Much could be said about those present, all of which his master would be pleased to hear. His eyes flickered like two small flames, his lips curled into a small grin. His front claws flexed instinctively in the darkness, waiting for the moment when he could leap forward into the light and reveal himself to all present and gloriously defeat his foes.

_Be patient, the time will come soon. _His master's voice reached him.

_Of course milord, I will wait. _There was no more to be said. Swirling eddies of darkness surrounded him, a faint red glow emerging from within them. Still no one noticed him, nor that the shadows were growing darker in the corner behind Chihiro. Such was their concentration on the mysterious letter and its purpose; such was the doom that they could not foresee.

"The purpose of the letter and who it is addressed to is unknown," the Dragon King reflected, "making it only more dangerous. The less you know about the enemy, the more dangerous he is to you. One of our wisest sayings, and it couldn't be truer in this situation. That is why we can not take the risk of seeing of one of us can open the letter, if this letter were to weaken either you or one of the others then woe be on us."

"Then what is there to do?" Chihiro thought. "If checking to see if the letter is addressed to one of us is too dangerous, than what can we do? Should we just destroy the letter or pretend it never existed?"

"Yes you are correct; there is a certain flaw in not opening the letter." Zeniba frowned. "What can we do? What should we do about the letter? I only wish this letter was not enchanted so that we may find out its true purpose and nature. "

"You are not the only one who wishes that," Hikari said wryly, "a situation that should have been simple to begin with has been magnified in proportions because of the fact that the letter itself is enchanted. That's the main barrier we are faced with, Chihiro is right if the letter wasn't enchanted this meeting and conversation would never have happen. Thought perhaps we should be thankful that the letter was enchanted, for if it wasn't it would do damage that no one would know about."

Sora nodded, "Perhaps we should open the letter, but with caution." The others nodded, and agreement had been reached. Silently she walked over to the table that held the letter and picked up the crisp white sheet of paper.

In his shadowy retreat, the dark dragon watched with eager eyes. It was to happen and soon. _Be patient it will be soon. _His master reminded him again. He nodded, fangs sharpened to small points were revealed as he smiled. Sakura, who had listened to their conversation, could only stare in shock as she watched Sora walk towards the letter. She screamed inside her mind, _No Sora don't open it! It's too dangerous! _It took all of her willpower to force herself from screaming out.

Everyone crowded around the letter. Sora quietly spoke, "Well this is the letter that I found. It's not much, but be careful. Remember what we discussed." Suddenly the letter started to spin, its pale white sheet now a blur of a rapidly spinning circle.

The dark dragon crouched, and waited soon he would reveal himself. _Now! _The order came from his master. Snarling, he rushed forward his claws outstretched and his red eyes glowing with a fearful light. His dark black aura covered him like a thin black cloak.

Hikari and Chihiro turned to see the dragon rushing towards them. They shouted to warn the others, everyone's attention was quickly diverted from the spinning letter to the oncoming threat. The letter started to slow, but no one noticed because of the dragon that was swiftly running towards them.

Thinking quickly, Sora created a wall of water strong enough to block themselves from the dark dragon. Everyone looked back at the letter, Hikari felt uncomfortable as she looked at the letter. Chihiro thought she was going to choke. Sora felt like she was about to scream, but for some reason it remained firmly lodged within her throat. She was instantly reminded of a time long ago when a dark dragon approached her and her and brothers. Of the things that she had seen, and the horror that she had felt when she saw those things.

The letter was pointing to her, but slowly it turned and when it finally stopped it was facing her sister Hikari. With trembling hands, Hikari picked up the letter and began to read what it said.


	19. Secrets of the Letter

Chapter Nineteen: Secrets of the Letter

Hikari read the letter shakily, "Hello Hikari, this letter is addressed to you and only your eyes are allowed to wander across it. As you may have previously noted no one but you can see the script written on the page that you are holding. If you get this letter, than it means that I am here. I have a proposal for you, but as I am afraid that you will tell everyone what the proposal is if I wrote it on this letter you and your friends will have to wait until I come to find out what I have in store for you. Good-bye Hikari, until we meet." She folded up the letter and looked at the pale sheet of paper.

"Well that was exciting," Sora finally spoke, "the only thing that the letter said was that whoever addressed this letter to Hikari is coming."

"Well," the Dragon King said thoughtfully, "knowing that the letter was protected by a charm to make the script invisible to people for whom it wasn't addressed to, we can probably guess that whoever is coming doesn't mean us good will." The others present nodded and agreement; Hikari stared at the letter and set it on the table. A harmless piece of paper with a dangerous warning scribbled onto it which made it all the more dangerous. Thoughts played around in her mind about that subject in order to distract her from the coming doom that lay upon them.

The dark dragon looked at the people in front of him, his sharp alabaster fangs gleaming with a deadly light. The letter had served as its purpose as a distraction, now was the time to attack. Roaring he summoned a sharp stream of darkness and aimed it at the barrier around his victims.

Hikari was the first to react; quickly she changed into her dragon form and lashed out with her tail. Unluckily for her, the dark dragon bit her tail and blood started to gently stream out of the wound. Fear encompassed her mind, and she quickly tried to yank her tail back to no avail. More blood started to rush out of her tail, and she screamed in pain. "Hikari!" Sakura and Sora yelled in unison. They changed into their dragon forms at the same time and rushed to attack the dragon with silvery balls of ice.

With astonishing force, the icy spheres pushed the dark dragon away from Hikari. Roaring with pain, she joined them and blasted a strong stream of superheated water at the dragon. Chihiro quickly changed into her dragon form and she too attacked the dragon, aiming a combination attack of wind, fire, and water at the dark dragon.

Overwhelmed by the pure strength of the attacks, the dark dragon weakly retreated from the four dragons. Sakura watched the dark dragon as he curled his lips into a small smile. There was something about it that made her uneasy. The room grew cold as a dark presence entered the room. Sakura knew what was happening even if the others didn't, she growled softly with distaste.

Hikari shivered as an uncomfortable sensation of chilled air surrounded her like a cloak. Fear enveloped her as she remembered the note scribbled on the letter that she had received. Sora was wrong, the letter was more dangerous than it appeared and she wished that she hadn't chosen to read it. _Ah but if you hadn't read it, you wouldn't know that there was someone coming. At least you were forewarned. _She told herself. Encouraged by that very knowledge she faced the open doorway and the creature lay beyond it.

The dark dragon smiled as his master stepped across the open threshold and into the room his aura of darkness gently trailing him. "Ah milord you have come." The dark dragon bowed respectively. "The one that you seek is present; she is marked by the bite I gave her."

The Evil One frowned, "I see, be gentler with her next time. I do not wish for her to be injured."

"Of course milord, I shall correct myself next time." The Evil One walked towards Hikari, whose emerald eyes were brimming with a deep and terrible hatred.

"Hello Hikari," he said charmingly, "I have come as promised." Hikari changed back into her human form as did Chihiro, Sora, and Sakura. All three gathered behind their friend, their expressions reflecting the same anger and hatred as Hikari.

"What do you want?" Hikari asked impatiently. "I have no need or time for your aimless statements."

"Ah you are impatient my young one, but do not worry for your fears are to pass soon. I have come to ask for you to join me by my side as queen to face the light of the Dragon of Nature together as one."

Sora looked at Hikari, it was the same proposal given to her many years ago, and she wondered how her sister would react. "Serve by your side as queen? I'd rather die than serve you!" Sora sighed in relief, she had refused. Both Sakura and Chihiro were shocked by the proposal and neither one dared speak.

"Ah a bad choice on your part, though I shall give you time to consider it." The Evil One smiled charmingly.Sora shifted uncomfortably as he gazed upon her.

"Ah Sora, I see that perhaps you would make a better queen than Hikari. Though the darkness and hate stored within you pales in comparison to that of your sister's. I can see beyond your disguises and masks, I know that within you are still the same caring and sensitive girl. Try as you might you will never be able to hide those weaknesses from me. Despite your weaknesses, your darker side has grown considerably, so I shall propose to you again would you like to join me as queen or not?"

"My answer remains unchanged," Sora replied coldly, "no, I choose not to."

"Both of you are making a bad choice though we will see if you decide to change your mind in the future which I am sure one of you is liable to do." The Evil One left. The dark dragon hissed at Chihiro and her friends before leaving them.

"Well that was exciting," the Dragon King said frowning, "Hikari, Sora, I have some things I want to discuss with you. Everyone else may leave." Hikari and Sora stared at their father with a slight apprehension, afraid of what was to be discussed.

Sakura approached them and as if reading their minds told them, "Go on, I'm sure that you'll be fine." She was the last to leave. Sighing Hikari stepped forward, but was quickly stopped by the phoenix. Screeching he landed and changed into his human form. Hikari blinked; she had forgotten that phoenixes, like dragons, also had human forms.

The phoenix smiled, "In case you're not sure of what to address me my name is Kai."

"Um hi then Kai, in case you don't know my name's Hikari." Hikari said nervously.

"My name's Sora, though you probably know that already." Sora added quietly.

The Dragon King smiled, "Ah I am glad to see you again Kai. How are the council members? I was worried when they were not present when Chihiro first arrived."

"They had important matters to tend to," Kai said, suddenly serious, "and were therefore unable to attend your meeting."

"Ah I see, well then um I am sure that you already know my daughters. So uh well we can now discuss what just occurred, and what we have just found out."

"I don't mean to be rude, but you seem nervous milord. I suppose what you saw and heard scared you, am I correct?"

"You are correct, I am quite uneasy about this subject. It isn't something that I would want to discuss, but it is a necessity. I am glad that you are here Kai as I do believe I will need support on this subject."

"I was sent as a messenger not to dawdle and discuss such matters. I will be leaving soon as the council is expecting me on important matters; I am also to bring Chihiro with me. It seems that it is their wish that she be tested."

"They want to test her now? I thought that I would receive more time in preparing her."

"You weren't supposed to prepare her; they want to see what level she is at before her training is to actually begin."

"Oh dear, I'll have to tell her current teacher to stop training then."

"Um excuse me for interrupting, but aren't we supposed to discuss something else beside the council of, I think, phoenixes." Hikari interrupted.

"Oh yes of course, I was just distracted about something that Kai told me. So um, Sora, when and where did the Evil One offer you the chance to become queen? He mentioned it when he was here."

Sora stared at the ground nervous and for a while silent. She whispered quietly, "I do not wish to tell."

Her father frowned, "Sora, it is important that I know this."

"Sora, did what you see and hear that day bother you?" Kai asked her.

"You sound so much like Sakura Kai." Sora spoke bitterly. "Even she does not fully understand what I have been through, neither have you. None of you will ever know what I saw and heard. Yes it bothered me, in case you haven't noticed it has affected me ever since the day he first told me of his plans."

The Dragon King was startled by his daughter's statements, "I never knew that Sora, if you had only told me."

"If I told you then what would happen? I know you father, you would just continue asking me more questions about what I witnessed. You wouldn't have comforted me. You would only press me for more answers. You never treat me like your daughter anymore; the only ones you seem to care for are Kohaku and Yoshiro!" Her father looked at her with mournful eyes.

"Uh Sora, I think it would be best if you apologized about what you said." Hikari told her sister apprehensively.

Sora quickly regretted saying the things that she did, and quickly followed her sister's advice, "I'm sorry dad; I didn't mean that."

"No you're right Sora. I haven't been acting like a good father should lately." The Dragon King sighed. "I should apologize to you as well Hikari, I caused you a lot of pain and suffering the day I abandoned you. I am sure that the phoenixes haven't been very happy about how I've acted either. I'm pretty sure that at least one or two of them knew about what happened to you Hikari."

Sora and Hikari glanced at each other, surprised by their father's actions. Kai smiled and whispered to the two sisters, "A good parent always listens when their children reveal their feelings towards them."

Hikari eyed him angrily, "Thanks for the commentary, but we really don't need it."

"We really should be talking about the events that have just occurred." Kai suddenly announced.

"Oh yes of course, I'm really glad that you are here Kai otherwise I'm not sure what I would do. Too many distractions, I'm surprised I would get anything done."

"You're very welcome milord and Sora we won't know the pain that you faced unless you tell us." Kai told her kindly.

"You wouldn't understand even if I did tell you," Sora said sullenly, "I don't wish to talk about it. It's too painful for me to relive."

"Then could you at least tell us when this happened?"

"It happened when I was only 15 years old, if you want to know what happened ask Yoshiro and Kohaku. They were with me when it happened."

"Where were you when the dark dragon came and what were you doing?" her father asked her.

Sora replied icily, "At the outer reaches of the park by the large oak tree that we would always play by, we were playing a game of tag." The Dragon King nodded in understanding, he could picture the events that happened next. He understood the reason why his daughter was unwilling to talk. An ambush could have been easily planned as the area was surrounded with forests and bushes.

"Now Hikari," The Dragon King turned to faced his youngest daughter, "what exactly happened from when you were abandoned to when Haku and Yoshiro found you?"

There was a long period of silence before Hikari spoke, "Well, I inhabited my river and controlled it as all river spirits do. I never knew of my heritage, yet I always knew that I was abandoned. One day when I was 64, I first changed into my human form out of curiosity. A young childless couple had settled near my banks, I wanted to meet them. They found me near the banks of my river and decided to take me in as it was apparent I had no parents. It was unexpected and I resisted their efforts. It was soon apparent that they had no respect for me or my river. Often times they promoted projects that would harm it, they were a mean and spiteful couple. All they seemed to really care about was their family and their wealth. I am glad to say they died 50 years later from their own greed. Their children though turned out to be just as mean. Tired of what I saw and heard I decided to visit the Spirit World, luckily there was a portal located in my river.

"It was a bit better than what I was used to the Human World, but because I was still quite young and I had been abandoned I didn't earn much respect. Some of the dragons that I met would pick on me and even ambush me. I had to learn to protect myself or I would be injured from the brutal attacks that they launched at me. When I turned 116, I secretly trained myself with a book I had stolen from an elderly dragon. Despite all that I learned, I was still barely able to protect myself from the terrible comments and attacks that I received. I felt a great anger and hatred toward any spirit I met. I once met an elderly spirit who had calmly greeted me and attacked him, so absorbed was I in my anger. He was strong, but still I manage to defeat him. I will always remember that day, blood dripped from my fangs and claws. His motionless body lying on the ground, surrounded in a pool of blood. Other spirits rushed to his aid and quickly banished me from the town that I was in.

"They chided me for attacking him, saying that because of my stature it was perfectly natural for me to become the scapegoat and the one more often picked on. They also reminded me, that I should not release my anger that way that instead I should have talked to them and told them how I felt. They would understand, it was taught in their town that everyone had feelings and that you had to be considerate of other no matter how lowly their stature. I angrily attacked, and summoned a huge flood. Though many powerful spirits lived there, they were still unable to protect themselves from the flood I had summoned its power only increased by my rage. I left the town and went to one of the several great forests within the area. I stayed there for a while in order to calm myself before returning back to the Human World and to my river."

Her father stared at her in shock, "I never knew, I shouldn't have abandoned you. I can see why the Evil One would have chosen you to become his queen; you have felt so much anger and hatred for the wrongs that you have faced. If only I hadn't abandoned you, then you wouldn't have faced the terrible things that you did." Sora stared at Hikari in shock; she had been through so much. It pained her to realize that she was younger than her, as she wasn't even sure if she could have faced the pain that Hikari did.

Kai looked at Hikari thoughtfully before speaking to her father, "No, abandoning her has taught her many invaluable lessons that will help her throughout her lifetime. Hikari has witnessed the very evils of our society and the human ones and reacted as she should have. It helped her in ways that perhaps she herself will never know or realize."

"I only wish that I could do something to help mend the sorrow and hatred that my daughter has felt." The Dragon King sighed.

"The only good healer is time, we shall have to wait and see what happens next." Kai told him.

"Like everything else in this world." Hikari added wryly.


	20. Planning for Escape

Chapter Twenty: Planning for Escape

Haku absentmindedly toyed with his bracelet; all of his friends were sleeping. Something had waken him, yet he had little clue as to what it might be. It was a rich ruby, the color of Chihiro's blood. _Your bracelet will be red because it is infused with Chihiro's blood and her blood is red. _The voice of the witch Zeniba flowed smoothly through his mind. As he gazed upon the bracelet, he hoped never again to see the color anywhere except upon the bracelet.

Keiko stirred and groaned she looked around her and muttered angrily to herself, "It's almost impossible to tell what time of day it is, there's no windows and everything is so dark." She then noticed Haku staring at his bracelet as he had done many times within the past few weeks. She sympathetically looked at Haku, Chihiro and the others were their only hope at escaping the prison in which they were confined. She didn't want to accept the fact and constantly tried to prove the theory wrong, but she still had to admit that it was probably true. Keiko glanced at Yoshiro and Natsuko, they were sleeping as usual. Both had been considerably weakened by their interrogations.

"So you're awake, Keiko." Haku said. "I am glad to see that you have recovered from the questioning they gave you three days ago. You have slept for far too long in my opinion."

Keiko nodded, unable to speak. A slight groan emerged from Yoshiro's lips as he weakly pulled himself into a sitting position. "Where am I?" He asked, faintly aware of the pain that pulsed within his head. Groaning as a fresh wave of pain tore through his body, his eyes passed over his brother. Delusional, he was unable to identify anyone around him.

Haku looked at his brother with great apprehension, "You should rest Yoshiro; you're still very weak."

"How do you know me?" Yoshiro asked his brother still unable to recognize him. "Where am I and how did I get here?"

"None of us are sure?" Keiko hesitated before continuing. "I'm not sure if you remember, but we were teleported here during the battle at the school. It's been at least two weeks now, I can't tell because of the darkness."

"What….wait I remember you two." Yoshiro said suddenly as he quickly regained his memories. His eyes passed over the unconscious form of Natsuko as he stared in shock. "Is she okay?" he asked as tears welled within his eyes.

"We're not sure," Keiko said carefully, "you just woke up a few minutes ago, if I recall correctly you have been asleep for what seems like four days now." When she finished, Natsuko weakly opened her eyes.

"Uh I feel like I was drugged and then attacked mercilessly with a combination of magic and sword." Natsuko said as she sat up. Large cuts and bruises covered her face and skin, fresh blood and essence oozed out of a few of the cuts.

"Something like it, though you were still pretty accurate." Keiko muttered.

"I hope Chihiro and the others get here soon, I feel weaker each day I spend in this place."

"So do we all, but there is nothing that we can do about it. Unless one of Keiko's crazy schemes work, we'll never get out of here." Haku muttered sourly.

"Hey they're not crazy schemes; if one of you would be more corporative then I am sure one of them would actually work." Keiko quickly shot back.

"The torturing and the way they have treated us so far has made us all very irritable." Yoshiro sighed. "Just don't give up hope that Chihiro or one of the others will find this place, they're all very strong in magic so I am sure they will."

"As strong in magic as they are, are their powers stronger than the magic that protects this place?" Keiko retorted. "Oh sure Chihiro might be able to do it, but how do you know that one of the others will be able to penetrate the magic that surrounds this prison."

"We can always hope, we must always hope that there is a chance that we will escape. Keiko, please continue your planning I'll help you if you need it."

"I don't know how much help you'll be though; your powers are still quite weak."

Yoshiro shrugged, "I can try can't I?"

"Okay then if you're sure, I want to see if you can use magic to open the lock. Don't break open the lock, just open it. Breaking open the lock alert someone that you had escaped."

"This isn't going to work." Natsuko told them. "The lock is protected with some sort of special spell that prevents anyone from using magic to change its position."

Ignoring her, Yoshiro gathered the remainder of his power around him and uttered a few words. Silvery sparks flew out of his outstretched hand and into the lock; a silvery aura surrounded the lock as it began to vibrate. Suddenly the aura and sparks that had been surrounding it dispersed.

"I told you yet you wouldn't listen." Natsuko chided them.

"Hmm, we could just try to figure out what weakness this particular lock has and unlock it through those weaknesses." Keiko said thoughtfully.

"They spell would probably be strongest around those weak portions." Natsuko argued.

"Just like the lock, every spell has some weakness. If we can find what weakness this spell has perhaps we can defeat it."

"Hmm, I never thought of that. Its weakness will probably be something like fire though, an element that one of us can't summon." Haku quickly pointed out.

"That's why I'm not willing to try any more experiments until after Chihiro attempts to come here and rescue us, but fails." Keiko told him.

"That's actually a very good plan." Natsuko muttered. "Though there is a flaw in your plans, as none of us have successfully managed to break out of our cells, we don't know where the exit is located. If it is our wish to escape, we will have to be able to map this entire area."

"Well that's one of the first things I plan on doing after getting out of these cells, map this prison."

"True, but first we're going to have to get out of these cells."

"Yes we do, and I plan on using every resource we have on breaking free of these cells. That's the first step in our plan to escape, the second is mapping the prison in which we dwell, and the final step is to plan an escape route and actually escape."

"Good plan, but you may want to explain each step of the process a bit more." Natsuko said scornfully.

Keiko winked, "I'll explain each step when we get to it."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Yoshiro whispered. "I find it hard to believe that the Evil One would let us converse freely, I'm sure he's planning something."

"The feeling is mutual Yoshiro," Haku frowned, "we are his only connection to Chihiro. Why else would he have gone through all the trouble in capturing us? Knowing him, he obviously didn't want to gloat; he's a mastermind not a glory-seeker. He also would be very careful in making sure that his prisoners don't escape by accident or otherwise. For these reasons I am certain he has some sort of informant, may it be an object or a spirit, that he has cleverly placed somewhere so that he can spy on our conversations."

"That means that we could be overheard right now." Keiko gasped. "Thanks for stopping me from putting my plan into more detail; I am sure that events would be more catastrophic if I had done so. The more I think about it the more it makes sense to me; the Evil One must believe that we will converse about things that he deems important among ourselves. He then gathers this information and uses it to plan his attacks on Chihiro in the others. We'll have to be more careful about what we say after this." The others quickly agreed.

"If that is true than how will we be able to share important information and hold other such conversations?" Natsuko asked despairingly. "We write notes to each other, they could be easily flinched and besides we have no paper."

Haku pondered Natsuko's question thoroughly, but came up with no answer for the dilemma. As he stared at his bracelet, an idea came to him. What if they communicated to each other mentally? He hesitated at the thought, telepathic abilities were very hard to control even among spirits. It took extreme concentration to send even the simplest message and it required the mental strength needed to send a message through the boundaries of one's own mind and into another. Then they had to direct their energies at one specific mind. It would be hard for Keiko as he was sure she didn't posses the necessary mental strength to reach beyond the barriers of her mind.

Haku held up his bracelet and looked at it thinking. _That's why they create objects such as this bracelet used to help direct where the thoughts are to be sent. _The bracelet glittered brilliantly as the dancing flames cast its warm angry light over it. For a second it looked to be made of the purest ruby, it pained him to be reminded that the color of it was caused partially by the fact that the bracelet had been infused with Chihiro's own blood. Memories gracefully passed through his mind, like the silvery waters of his river. Memories of when Chihiro had first arrived at the Spirit World to the events that led to the capture of himself, Yoshiro, Natsuko, and Keiko. Her smile, not matter how small had always seem to capture his heart; her laughter was the sound of sweet bells ringing merrily. It had always puzzled him how he had still been able to love after all that had troubles that he had faced within his lifetime.

Hundreds of years had passed since his birth, he had seen many destructions wrought at hands of humans. His own river a fine example of the things that they could do, yet still he loved this girl. He couldn't explain what it was about her that made him love her. Perhaps it was her smile and kindness towards all creatures, or perhaps it was another one of her numerous qualities. It could have been all of them, or it could have been none. Their bond may have been created by the memories they shared and the destruction that they had seen. The more he thought about it, the more that he had to admit that there were many characteristics they shared, many of which he had hidden from her and others.

Yoshiro noticed his brother's silence, and wisely chose to ignore it. By the expression upon his face it was simple to tell that he was thinking about things that he did not wish to discuss. Haku's hands closed tightly around the bracelet, and then released the tension he had suddenly applied.

"Something wrong Haku?" Natsuko inquired thoughtfully, "You seem really quiet. Not that that's a bad thing."

"No nothing's wrong I was just thinking." He carefully laid that bracelet on the ground, shimmering brilliantly like a tiny star. _Within its core lies the key to my heart's desire, my last link to Chihiro. _ He thought to himself. Haku stared at the flames crackling merrily on the torch, for they seemed to be laughing at him and his friends.

Keiko watched Haku with great interest, he was hiding something. She quickly chose not to inquire about when she saw him toying with the bracelet, he was probably just thinking about Chihiro. _I wish she and the others were here to rescue us. I hope they'll come soon. _She thought to herself. Haku watched the crackling flames; they no longer seemed to be laughing. There he sat watching the torch, within the dungeon of the palace of the Evil One located in a vast plain that stretched for hundreds of miles before it reached silvery forests bathed in light and surrounded by tranquil streams and rivers. Hundreds of miles away from the palace of the Dragon King and the presence of his beloved, he silently sat and wept for his loss.


	21. Warning of the Stones

Chapter Twenty-One: The Warning of the Stones

Kai woke up; a sensation of extreme heat originating at his chest had spread throughout his body. Despite the fact that he was a phoenix and phoenixes were used to extreme heat, the warmth that he felt was enough to energize him into wakefulness. _No it can't be. _He thought to himself. He grabbed a pendent that hung around his neck, a thick leather strip with a single ruby hanging from it. As he expected the ruby was glowing, its soft pulsing light illuminating the room with its brilliant red light. _But it has. _Kai concluded.

He softly stroked the stone, its glow an ominous warning. For the ruby was a tiny fragment of the Ruby of Phoenixes, a magical stone whose own powers rivaled that of the Emerald of Dragons. A thought formed in his mind, there was something he had to know. If his Ruby was glowing, then was the Emerald glowing as well? Kai looked around himself and at the moonlit gardens located outside. _There is no time to wake Hikari, Sora, or any other member of the royal family. If I did it would be too late! _Determined, Kai swiftly ran out of the room. He wasn't exactly sure where the emerald was being held, but he had a clue. "Kai, where are you going?" A sleepy voice made him stop and look around. A single solitary figure stood there, illuminated by the pale moonlight that streamed through her room. The moonlight cast its light on an angle that made her emerald eyes seemed to glow with a light of their own.

Kai looked at the young girl, her eyes pleading for answers, deciding whether he should tell her or not. "I'm going to see something, feel free to come with me if you wish." Footsteps followed him as he ran towards the Royal Chamber, his ruby glowing ever stronger. _The darkness we are facing is strong and grows stronger with every step. _He thought grimly to himself.

"Want to explain why you're up so late?" Hikari gasped as she caught up with him. "I have this feeling that it's a same reason I woke up thinking that something went very wrong."

"It is the same, my pendent woke me. The pendent contains a piece of the Ruby of Phoenixes. Perhaps the Emerald of Dragons woke you through your dreams sending you a warning through a vision; it has been known to do that."

"I suppose that the Ruby of Phoenixes does the same thing?"

"It does, though it was the light and heat generated by the ruby that caused me to wake." Hikari nodded.

"So, uh, where are we going and what are we about to do?" She quickly asked.

"We're going to the Royal Chamber to look for the Emerald of Dragons. The task should be easier as you are one of the royal family." Kai said grinning.

"Never mind that, so we're going to steal the Emerald of Dragons? I only hope that dad will forgive me for this."

"We're not going to steal the Emerald, but rather look at it when we find it. If my suspicions are true, then it should be glowing." Hikari was still unsure of Kai's intentions, but decided not to ask any more questions. Two guards stood in front of the door to the chamber they sought.

Hikari bravely stepped forward, "I Hikari, last daughter of the Dragon King, seek entrance into this room with my friend, the messenger Kai." The guards bowed respectfully and parted as to let the two spirits run into the room. The door was closed as soon as they entered the Royal Chamber.

"Well that was quite easy." Hikari commented shortly afterwards, Kai wordlessly agreed for he had nothing to say about the matter. The large chamber was lit by silvery blue lanterns that lined the thick stone walls. Pale to dark blue shadows lurked everything and were continually shifting as the lanterns seemed to be turning. A large traditional screen door separated them from the garden that lay outside. There were few ornamentations and furnishings in the room, yet everything still looked quite spectacular.

"Wow its beautiful here," Hikari said looking around the room, "I've never actually been here before. How do you know that the Emerald of Dragons is being kept in here?"

"That's surprising," Kai replied, his eyes searching for what they sought, "this room was meant for the royal family to spend their leisure time in and to entertain their guests. All members of the royal family are told about it when they were quite young, and in your case, you should have been told about it as soon as you proved you were a member of the royal family. As for your question, I was invited here once before and during that visit I noticed a pale green glow coming from one of the closets. I believe that was the Emerald of Dragons." Hikari carefully thought over what Kai had told her, he was obviously very respected among her own family to have been invited into this room if what she heard was true.

Kai glanced over Hikari's shoulders to find a pale emerald light emerging from a closet. "I found it!" he exclaimed. He walked over to the closet and opened the door, indeed hidden within the darkness of the closet was the Emerald of Dragons. As he had expected it was flashing wildly, sending rays of green light to dance around the room.

Hikari walked over to him, and lightly picked up the sacred stone. "Hikari what are you doing?" Kai asked her in amazement, "we were only going to look at the stone, not touch it. We have found the information that we seek we can leave now." When she did not answer, he grew more and more nervous. He watched as the Emerald's pulsing light surrounded Hikari, all of her features seemed to be given the haunting appearance of untamed beauty in the Emerald's green aura. A feeling of madness rushed through Kai, a feeling so strong he struggled to control it. _You must learn to control your feelings, love is a powerful weapon that some may choose to use against you. _His mentor's wise saying flooded his mind and the madness passed.

Hikari gently placed the Emerald of Dragons back into the closet, in the exact position they had found it. As she did a tiny fragment of the Emerald broke off and fell into her hands. Hikari stared at it in amazement as she closed the closet door; it was pulsing as the Emerald of Dragons was.

Kai spoke when he saw what she was staring at, "Rarely does the Emerald break, if it does it signifies that someone great will protect the world from evil and fight it in all of its forms." Kai smiled when Hikari looked at him. "The same thing happened to me after I touched the Ruby of Phoenixes."

Hikari grinned as a thought weaved itself through her mind. "We're alike then, both destined to fight evil and protect the light left in the world."

"Yes, it does seem that way. I wonder if the parents knew or even thought of the same thing when they named you Hikari." Hikari looked at him in shock; she knew what he was thinking. Surprised and frightened by the sudden realization she slowly backed away from the phoenix.

Kai blinked, at first unable to comprehend what Hikari was trying to do. _You fool; you should have masked your feelings for her. Now you'll have to convince her that you don't like her. _He told himself angrily. _But I don't like her, so why did I say that? _Confused and utterly befuddled, Kai walked towards the door; Hikari closely following him. Despite the fact that she was a member of the royal family, Hikari concealed the sliver of the Emerald when they left the Royal Chamber her hands tightly clenching the sacred stone as to prevent any light from escaping. Only when they were a safe distance away did Hikari finally loosen her relentless grip. Soft pulsing light illuminated the hallway in a delicate shade of pale green.

"You didn't have to do that you know." Kai told her coldly. "Your parents would understand if they see it."

"You don't have to tell me, I was going to show them in the morning. I just didn't want anyone else to know and besides, I was worried that the guards might doubt my statement about me being part of the royal family when they saw it." Hikari snapped. She eyed Kai closely; he was the same as he was when they first walked into the Royal Chamber. She was sure that he hadn't changed a bit, she blinked. _I must have been imagining things; he really hasn't changed at all. _Hikari walked towards her room, her hands still clenched around the tiny Emerald shard.

Kai walked to his own room when she walked away his Ruby flashing wildly, conveying the same message as the Emerald. The darkness was growing stronger and rapidly approaching, soon he would have to leave. A message would come telling him that it was the council's wish that he be among the warriors' present. He stared at the bright moon set upon the night sky when he reached his room, casting its pale light upon the garden below it, making it look like an enchanted fairyland. The stars twinkled brilliantly in the dark heavens above him. He glanced at the Ruby which rested on his chest, never ceasing its wildly flashing light.

Kai quickly decided that he should he get some rest. He fell asleep despite the fact that the heat generated from his Ruby was enough to wake him every two seconds or so. In another room farther down the corridor, Hikari was having a hard time falling asleep.

She continually stroked her Emerald, as if seeking answers from it. She couldn't fall asleep no matter what she did, and the Emerald's pulsing light wasn't helping. _I should just hide it. _She thought to herself as she placed it underneath a pale emerald kimono, hoping that the color would help remind her exactly where she hid it.

Hikari closed her eyes in another futile attempt to fall asleep. The moon shone on the restless girl, her emerald eyes blazing with anger. _Why can't I fall asleep? _She asked herself angrily seeking answers that she herself did not know. Tears fell out of her eyes, crystals illuminated by the pale silvery light of the crescent moon. _Why can't I fall asleep? _She questioned herself yet again. _Why? _

The thought lingered in her mind, as she pondered the simple question. She closed her eyes and more tears fell, soon she had fallen asleep. The wind blew through the night as the light of the Ruby of Phoenixes and the Emerald of Dragons grew stronger a stronger. Sadly, no one noticed. Their pulsing light fell into a steady rhythm like the beating of drums. A chant could have been derived from their ominous glow. Both Kai and Hikari were plagued by nightmares and dark visions that night, yet hidden among the darkness was light. There were dreams of happiness and of peace, of the darkness being forever banished from the world. They were cherished by both Kai and Hikari although they were few.

The pale moon slowly set and the rising sun found the two slowly waking. Hikari moaned as the sun's golden rays fell across her face, shielding herself from the light she tried to fall asleep. She opened her eyes when the attempt proved futile. A memory slowly aroused itself in her mind as she dressed, remembering the events of the night she grabbed the Emerald sliver from under the pale green kimono. _Good I didn't forget. _She thought to herself.

In another room, Kai was slowly rousing himself from his fitful night of sleep. The Ruby was still flashing; it was obvious that the situation was now very grim from the intensity of its light. He gently stroked it and quickly untied the knot that kept the leather strip in place around his neck. Gently he placed the Ruby pendent next to him as he dressed; the heat generated from the Ruby was starting to annoy him. He quickly retied the leather strip when he was finished dressing, careful to place the precious stone on his shirt in order to lessen the warmth of the powerful stone. He emerged from his room at the exact same time Hikari walked out of hers.

The two were silent as they walked towards the Indigo Room for breakfast. Chihiro, Zeniba, Rin soon joined them. Unnerved by the silence that seemed to completely encircle them, Rin attempted to start a conversation. "I wonder what they're going to serve us for breakfast. Did your dad or some else tell you Hikari?" She asked.

"It's as much as a surprise to me as it is to you. You should know that already Rin." Hikari muttered quietly. She hid the her Emerald of Dragons sliver within the sleeve of her kimono and desperately hoped that no one noticed the flashing green light that seemed to illuminate it. As the evil grew stronger so did the light and it became increasingly harder for her to hide the Emerald. Kai pretended not to notice the pale flashing light that originated in Hikari's kimono sleeve; she faced the same troubles that he did with the stones. _For once I wouldn't mind the Ruby breaking and shattering into pieces, now would be a good time for that. _He thought to himself dryly. As his Ruby's light grew stronger, the stone itself only seemed to grow stronger. He recognized the warning, but could do nothing about it until he met with the Hikari's father. _I'm sure he'll be proud of her when she shows him the Emerald sliver. Its magic is strong enough to prevent it from breakage whether it is accidental or deliberate. The only way it will break is if it senses someone who is good and powerful enough to help defeat the darkness and evil in both worlds. _

Rin tried to continue the conversation, but neither Hikari nor Chihiro choose to speak to her_. Everyone's so preoccupied with the Evil One's proposals._ She thought dismally to herself_. I doubt that even Hikari or Sora thinks or anything else. _Fortunately, she didn't notice that Hikari was hiding something.

Despite all of Hikari's efforts, Chihiro glimpsed something glowing from within Hikari's sleeve. At first she blinked and thought that she was imagining things, but when her friend's sleeve continued to glow it became apparent that Hikari was hiding something. _What is it that she could be hiding? Of what importance could this particular item be? _Chihiro questioned herself. _I should ask her, but when the others aren't around. I wonder if Kai can be trusted with this secret, he seems to have something that resembles the object Hikari is hiding in its glow but not its color. _As Chihiro pondered this dilemma, Rin was still desperately trying to start and continue a conversation.

"No one notices me anymore!" Rin whined. "No one seems to care!"

"Well you are getting quite annoying with all that talking of yours." Sora told her as she leaned against a doorway from which she emerged. "They probably have more important things to think about."

"I know that I was trying to distract them from those 'important' thoughts."

"Why would you want to do that? If people have more important things to think about, shouldn't' you let them think about those things?"

"Yes, but I think the 'important' things that you mentioned involved the Evil One and his…" Rin hesitated for a moment before continuing, "proposal. I want distract them from thoughts involving that incident." Sora nodded, before joining their little procession to breakfast. Their group immediately dispersed when they reached the Indigo Room. Sora went to join a small band of her brothers and sisters, Kai and Zeniba went to sit with the king, and the rest sat together.

Kai showed the Dragon King his Ruby when he sat down. The Dragon King carefully examined the Ruby he spoke when he returned it to his rightful owner, "These are sad tidings that you bring us Kai, and there are no words that can convey the emotions that overcome me at this moment. I can only hope that my sons will be able to survive in this disaster. I assure you that I will alert all in my kingdom and beyond of this disaster." _You better. _Kai thought to himself as he retied his pendent, its brilliant light had subdued at bit its message conveyed to one who had to power to stop the darkness. His eyes unconsciously wandered towards Hikari, she was still hiding the Emerald. He wondered for a second why she hadn't approached them and showed her father the Emerald; then the answer came to him. _Don't do it, she will tell him when she thinks it fit. _He told himself and restrained his impulses to shout out to Hikari or tell her dad about the Emerald.

Hikari glanced at her kimono sleeve, _I should tell dad. _She looked at her father, surrounded by important people with Kai and Zeniba among them. _Though not now, maybe later. _She sighed and clenched her Emerald Piece even tighter, hoping that no one would notice it.


	22. Sakura's Flight

Chapter Twenty-Two: Sakura's Flight

Sakura watched the moon, thoughts streamed through her mind with no apparent start or end. She sighed and gently let a piece of paper fall from her hand, she watched as it slowly drifted down to rest on a neatly made futon. The dark lettering of the note contrasted the snowy white cloth. She looked around herself and checked to make sure that everything was neatly put away that nothing was out of order or place.

_Good, it looks as if no one has inhabited this place. _She thought as she silently sneaked out of her room. Ever since the letter, she had felt as if she was playing an insignificant role in the palace, at least there would be something to do if she searched for the king's son and his friends. Sakura looked at the glossy grey palace, memories of when she had first arrived slipped into her mind unbidden. Sleek tears rolled down her cheeks, like dark seals sliding into the ocean without the slightest hint of effort. She forced herself to look away, chiding herself for letting her emotions overcome her.

Milky light enshrouded her blurry form, altering it and rapidly spinning to engulf her within its light. Suddenly, the light shattered sending thousands of tiny shards of light spinning into the darkness. From within its cocoon rose a silvery serpent with a cherry-pink mane. Sakura watched the world around her with elegance and poise.

Her sparkling opal pendent softly rest against the glittering scales on her neck. She looked at the moon and leapt into the sky and soared ever higher towards the glowing moon. Level with the horizon, if not above it, she set off in the direction of Swamp's Bottom and Zeniba's abandoned cabin.

Sakura was bathed in the moon's serene light, her opal set ablaze with thousands of different swirling colors. Her golden eyes glinted as she calmly watched the landscape below her. Hundreds of streams twisting and winding, dozens of trees waving their long arms into the sky, and millions of colors all intricately woven into one another. A dazzling filigree of Nature, and of the spirits that resided within Her varying forms, woven to create the beautiful world that lay below her. All linked to one another, all dependent upon each other for survival.

Though she her travels did not require for her to wander into the Human World, and she had seen very little of it; she supposed that it was the same in the other realm, an inference justified by both her experiences there and what she saw below her now. A delicate web spun by nature, all to be destroyed by one spirit with evil intent, one spirit who wished to rule both realms for his own good and not the good of others.

An assortment of clouds of differing densities and shapes obstructed her from her destination. Occasionally, she would fly through them or hide behind one for her own amusement. It would be a while before she would reach Swamp's Bottom. From below she was only a lone figure sailing through the sky, a curving line aimlessly wandering across the surface of the circular moon. To other only a dream that vanishes through the mysterious ways of the mind.

Sakura was content, all fears and thoughts that had accompanied her in the palace were nothing but obsolete wisps of thoughts that were slowly eroding. A strange sense of urgency accompanied her as she flew through the desolate night sky a feeling that someone was intently watching her, someone with an evil intent.

Concealed in a small clump of bushes below her, was a dark dragon its ruby eyes shimmered with excitement. Soundlessly, it slid out of the bushes and soared into the chilly wind. Sakura eyed the dragon cautiously; the distance between them was far too great for her to see if it was friend or foe.

Stealthy, the dark dragon spiraled towards the moon, its bristling mane snapping viciously. His eyes focused on its goal, her reflection cast within his dark maroon eyes. Sakura watched him, her tail instinctively twitching and slowly snaking towards him. Her opal pendent began to flash with a thousand alternating colors, faintly at first then more and more ominously as the dragon crept closer and closer.

The dark dragon blinked, and snarled his challenge, dodging Sakura's tail with unprecedented ease. With the speed of a silvery wolf assaulting its prey, he lunged towards her his jaws opened to reveal a dozen sharp and deadly teeth. Sakura leapt higher into the sky, narrowly avoiding her enemy's vicious teeth. Her eyes flashed angrily as she immediately dived towards the earth with the speed and ease of a hunting falcon. With the speed and grace of a fox the dark dragon shot upward.

Sakura stopped into midair; seconds after the dark dragon soared into the indigo sky, and summoned a translucent ball of icy energy. Effortlessly, she aimed the ball at her foe and smirked when he howled with anguish as it tore into the coal-black serpent. The ball of icy energy immediately shattered amid the darkened scales of the dark dragon, a few fragments remained lodged between the scales giving the appearance of a shimmering sea of darkness. The dragon bit and tore at his scales in a feeble attempt to dislodge the icy shards as they sent icy tendrils snaking through his body the discomfort and pain caused by these glittering crystals was unbearable.

Distracted from Sakura, she swiftly flew away solemn eyes frequently gazing at the scene behind her, a fear that he would follow or others of his kind were secretly watching her embedded itself within her mind. She could think of nothing else for the fear was too great, and too prominent, to be ignored. _I can't go to Swamp's Bottom. _The thought absently flooded her mind. _They'll just follow me there, there must be someplace else where I can stay and recuperate before heading there. _

Instinctively she veered southward, toward the once famous bathhouse of Aburaya, now a desolate and frightening place where many of the Evil One's warriors dwelled. Few dared approach it for fear of the enigmatic evil charms and spells that surrounded the building as well as the dark and mysterious spirits that would on occasion emerge from within its shadowy depths.

A dark orb set far off in the distance was one of the things that alerted her to its location. Strange forms and shapes lingered amid the haunting sphere, Sakura unexpectedly shivered, small tremors snaking throughout her silvery body. Her opal's glow was faint, no more than a tiny flame flickering rapidly among endless shadows. Its pale and undetectable light caused the scales on her neck to glow with an ominous dimming rainbow.

The proximity of the deserted building frightened her as she slowly crept closer and closer to the bathhouse. She knew that Kamajii, the friendly spider spirit that had helped both Haku and Chihiro, was still present in the building. Yet she did not know of his current situation, or where he was kept within the building.

A smoky vaporous orb suddenly appeared before her; upon its glittering surface were several strange markings, many of which had meanings she could not unravel. A disembodied and weary voice slowly emerged from the luminous ball. "Who is it that dares enter the dwelling place of the loyal servants of the Lord of Darkness? Speak your name and purpose into this sphere and prepare to be greeted by the guardian spirits."

Sakura blinked as a reply slowly formed within her mind. _I must be in the wrong place, my apologies. I do not wish to trouble the army of darkness as it was not my intent when I came here. I have not been myself these past few days, my river was destroyed a few days ago and I was searching for a new home. I thought that there might be a nice creek or something for me to rule around these areas. Again my apologies, I shall leave now sorry again for disturbing you._ She flew away from the building, towards Swamp's Bottom. Behind her the clouded surface of the orb rippled as it released a veil of smoky vapors. The vapors gradually drifted away to reveal an empty void.

Thoughts snaked throughout her mind, plans as to what to do and where to stay. She did not wish to return to the palace if there was somewhere else for her to stay. Sakura's eyes glittered as she thought; endless possibilities laid behind each plan, different selections meant different fates. Only a handful of the choices she faced would lead to events that she wanted to occur.

Her form illuminated by the circular moon, she aimlessly flew in large circles, occasionally practicing acrobatic aerial maneuvers. Thousands of thoughts and plans streamed through her mind, endless choices all clamoring for attention like a nest of hungry chicks. _What am I to do? If I go to Swamp's Bottom, they'll only follow me there, unless I take a more enigmatic and mystifying route. _The thought lingered in Sakura's mind. Steadily, a reasonable plan was formed, every detail precise and agonizingly clear. A plan in which its very foundations depended on the accuracy of the situation to function correctly, an adjustment no matter how slight would mean certain impending doom for her.

_It's a chance I'll have to take. _She thought to herself as she swiftly sailed across the sky towards Aburaya. As she expected the same luminous ball appeared out of a thin mist that had trailed from the darkened shield around the bathhouse. Just as the same ghastly voice was about to speak, Sakura smashed her tail against the ball. It shattered into hundreds of black crystals, falling onto the land below and emitting a thin plume of blackish smoke as they fell.

The wind howled with greater intensity, dark shadows and shapes emerged from the dark orb. _Why did you do it? What have you wrought upon our race? You shall pay for what you have done. _Thousands of voices all were whispering the same thing. Instinctively, a low growl emitted from her throat, and the opal started to flash. Its multi-colored light stunned most of the spirits spiraling towards her.

She grinned. Everything was going exactly as she planned. Rapidly, she soared into the air dodging the attack the dark spirits had amassed. Dark flames exploded around area she had once occupied sending waves of superheated air tinted with black charging towards her. Twisting and looping to avoid the most vicious areas of the oncoming waves, Sakura managed to escape them unharmed.

Her intelligent golden eyes shone with the brilliant aura of the moon. Its light magnified by her intense eyes so great was her anger and power. Her milky aura intensified, creating a supernatural sphere of light swirling around her. Enraged and spurred by the attack she roared her carefully worded challenge. _Abate from this realm and the other demons of nature, curse of the Earth, hated creatures. Take your misery and darkness elsewhere, away from the lands of light and peace else you will suffer for what you have wrought upon our lands and its inhabitants. _

A low hiss emerged from the lips of her opponents, infuriated by her words they charged towards her in an awesome display of force and power. Sakura watched intently, motionless as if petrified from the great power entombed within the dark force's assault. Thoughts streamed through her mind, calculations of speed and momentum, she waited ever patiently for the exact moment in time she could escape without fear of a redirection of attack or of an actual hit whether it was physical or magical.

_Just a few more seconds… a few more second… NOW! _ She bolted from her motionless stance eastward as if flying towards the palace. As she expected, the army of dark spirits halted and reorganized themselves before chasing her. Balls and streams of dark magic sailed towards her, with matchless elegance and agility she avoided all magical attacks aimed at her. Every loop and swirl delicately planned; even if charging streams of black flames missed her by only a millimeter as she expertly executed every aspect of her plan.

The opposing force snarled with distaste and frustration as they watched Sakura dodge their attacks as if she was dancing in the air. A sense of confusion and fear rippled through the vast number of evil spirits like an unavoidable wildfire, how could she dodge every one of their attacks without tiring? If her power was as great as it seemed, how efficient would she be in destroying the numerous quantity of spirits opposing her?

Unbidden a small grin emerged on Sakura's face as the number and intensity of her opponent's attacks decreased sharply. The first phase of her strategy was complete; soon it would be necessary to start the second phase. Her opal's glittering light peaked with greater intensity and force, its glow causing an unbearable sensation of an overpowering storm of fire and ice that seared her form spreading with the speed of a rampaging horse. She shook involuntarily, and growled afterwards choosing to ignore the discomfort and pain caused by her opal. She could and would bear it.

Murmurs and whispers passed through the opposing force in great waves. Was it possible that their enemy wasn't as invulnerable as she seemed and they supposed? Cautiously a single brave dark dragon aimed a ball of dark fire at Sakura, his eyes glowing with the unproven perception of what was to come.

As she was very attentive and sensitive to her surroundings, Sakura turned around and summoned a stream of howling wind with the power of her opal. The gust blew the ball back towards its owner, fortunately weakening it before it hurtled with surprising force and speed into the chest of the dark dragon. He staggered backwards into a spirit who was watching behind him with a dull thud. The dark forces looked at the young dragon in great shock, their enemy was indeed as powerful as they had originally suspected.

Sakura looked at the dark dragon, though the ball of dark fire had been significantly weakened before it hit him, it still had enough force left in it to leave him unconscious when it hit. There was a steady hiss of worried murmurings streaming towards her attentive ears; a small grin brightened her solemn countenance.

She watched as the large mass of dark spirits started to shift uncomfortably. A few of the more courageous ones moved towards the front as the weaker and more anxious one traveled towards the back of the large pack of spirits. The silent whisper of the wind was heard above the silence that overshadowed Sakura and her foes.

Thoughts and calculations streamed through her mind at an astonishing rate. Several dark spirits hissed as they watched her shift and weave through invisible obstacles towards them. With an incredible burst of supernatural speed she flew upwards into the indigo sky and the pale silver moon.

The dark force looked around themselves with great confusion, for their hated enemy had disappeared from their sight. Where was she? What could she be doing? A sudden explosion from the northwestern side stunned the spirits. Howls and screams of pain and suffering emerged seconds later from that region, withering and weakened spirits swiftly fled from the battle towards Aburaya and the safety it offered.

Sakura watched with unwavering eyes as again the pack of spirits readjusted themselves. Now was their most vulnerable time, now was the perfect time to attack. Concentrating intently on her opal and its endless powers as it started to glow a spiteful hue of darkened ruby, she summoned a plume of golden flames racing towards the dark mass stirring below her. Another dreadful howl arose from the hated spirits as they tried to defend themselves with a dark shield that managed to dissipate most of the flames.

_Another blast should do it combined with ice and wind. _She thought as she once again concentrated on the unlimited powers of her opal. Below her the dark spirits were busy creating another shield, a dark orb that surrounded them from all possible attacking areas. Small spheres of dark flames ominously dotted the outer edges of the orb, occasionally they would move to another area like tiny sentries.

Tiny sparks surrounded the silvery dragon as she summoned a strong blast of wind, ice, and fire. The wind swirled around the orb, absently destroying the spheres of dark flames. The ice and fire spiraled towards the orb breaking through its rapidly weakening barrier and hurtled itself towards the undefended dark forces.

Each spirit bitterly fought the blast using their own powers, yet none succeed in their quest. Sakura watched joyfully as a large explosion blasted many of the spirits from their position and as its powerful shockwaves destroyed the remnants of the dark shield and army. She grinned and flew away before anyone would notice her. Threading through endless clouds and streams of steam that was left over from her attack, she flew towards her true destination.

Below her lone train tracks wove through a landscape of endless green. Meadows filled with luscious grass and delicate wildflowers. She flew past abandoned buildings and houses with thatched roofs. A sense of pride and accomplishment flowed through her like the waters of a mountain stream. She had done what few would or could ever do in their lifetimes. A sense of peace and serenity quickly overcame at the thought of resting within Zeniba's cabin; it was mentioned in the note that she had left that she would be residing there for the period that she was gone.

She darted quickly out of the sky as would a shooting star when she spotted the familiar shady trees and lone gravel path of Swamp's Bottom and Zeniba's cabin. Sakura landed with a soft thud on the courtyard of the cabin. The door swung open to reveal a curious No-face staring at her. "Ah ahh." He told her when he saw her.

She snorted once before transforming into her other form and walked towards him. She thanked the courteous No-face and informed him of her situation. His answer was the same as before and so she entered the brightly lit cabin, gentle thoughts streaming through her mind. No-face glanced behind her to make sure that there was no one there before closing the door to Zeniba's cabin.


	23. In a Place Forgotten

Chapter Twenty-three: In a Place Forgotten

Chihiro silently watched the large silvery moon, imagining that there was a long squiggly snaking towards the palace and her room in particular. _Haku I wish you were here. _She sleepily closed her eyes thinking of Haku, just as she fell asleep her bracelet began to glow.

Haku shifted restlessly in his cell, his bracelet too had started to glow. The brilliant flashing light awakened Natsuko who looked at bracelet sleepily. _Should I tell Haku that the bracelet is glowing? He seems really tired. _She gazed wearily at Haku's resting form and quickly decided not to. She closed her eyes and fell asleep within seconds.

The light of the glowing bracelets did not falter until dawn when both Haku and Chihiro had begun to wake. Their synchronized flashes of brilliant light began to quicken when one particular dream began to reveal itself to both lovers.

_A brilliant golden aura enshrouded Chihiro as she stared at the bright moon. Her feet dangled off of the edge of balcony. A sudden gust of chilly wind forced her to walk inside the building in order to warm herself. Inside Rin was waiting for her. "Where were you Chihiro?" Rin asked furiously. "You were supposed to give Kamajii his meal today!" _

_"Sorry Rin," she replied meekly, "I was thinking about something outside."_

_"Okay just make sure that you don't let it get in the way of your work." She quickly left the room, there were more important things she had to get done than to play messenger. Chihiro sighed, and left the room as well. A slight change in the shadows made her glance behind her, but there was no one there. Perplexed Chihiro grabbed the basket Rin had left by the doorway and nimbly ran towards the boiler room. There she found the boiler man humming a pleasant tune as he worked. _

_"Oh there you are Chihiro," he said as she entered, "I thought you were sick or something when you didn't arrive to give me my mea speaking of which I still haven't had." Chihiro nodded and wordlessly handed him a bowl of food. The soot balls gathered into a small crowd as she sprinkled sugary treats over their heads. They scrambled over each other in order to grab a few of the treats. She turned around at the sound of the small door opening and was surprised to see Haku standing behind her. _

_"I knew I would find you here." He said his tone hard and bitter. "Come with me." _

_Chihiro nervously glanced at Kamajii before following him. She became even more nervous when she found their destination to be Yubaba's elaborately furnished office. The witch looked at her and smiled, "Hello Chihiro, it's been a while since I last saw you. How have you been?"_

"_Fine," She replied sullenly. _

"_Good, anyway I brought you here for a reason. I thought that you might be very useful in what I have planned. Haku you tell her, she believes whatever you tell her." _

"_She wants you to spy on the workers," Haku told her, "especially Rin. Yubaba believes that they are planning to overthrow her." Chihiro hesitated before agreeing to her plan, she didn't want to spy on her friends but it didn't appear as if she had any choice in the matter. _

"_Wonderful," Yubaba chortled, "well that was all I wanted to tell you, you may leave now." Chihiro nodded and left, and ignored Haku who was walking besides her. It was his fault that she was now spying on her friends for the person she hated the most and for this she didn't wish to talk to him anymore. _

_She rushed through her chores that day, careful to avoid him whenever possible. Chihiro decided to take a break from her duties once she finished most of the work expected of her, she walked towards the balcony. To her surprise she found Haku standing there, watching the skies as if he was expecting something. Scowling she began to leave. "Chihiro," Haku said suddenly, "I want to talk to you about something." _

_She thought about what he asked of her for a moment before walking towards him. "Does it have anything to do with what Yubaba expects me to do?" Chihiro snarled. _

"_No, I just wanted to talk to you for a moment about some recent events." _

"_Like what?" _

"_Sakura's disappearance and the fight seen over at Aburaya between the dragon and the dark spirits." The wind blew harder around the two, sending eddies of rushing air flowing around them in massive quantities. _

_It took a moment for her to understand what he was trying to tell her. "Why do you want to talk about that? Do you suppose they're related?"_

"_I thought it would be an interesting topic as you're related to Sakura and I believe the two incidents may be related in some way." _

_Chihiro stared at Haku thoughtfully, she was just about to reply with the answer when a sudden thought occurred to her. "How do I know you're really him?" she asked. _

_Haku blinked, "what are you talking about?"_

"_It just occurred to me that you're not really him, like the two dragons impersonating Haku and Yoshiro the day that we arrived at the palace. You're just trying to get information aren't you? You're just a common spy? That's what this dream was about; that you're spying on me like Yubaba wants me to spy on my friends." In that instant the entire scene shattered and darkness engulfed her and Haku. _

_An infuriated scream was heard over the darkness, "You think that you're really clever don't you? Just wait until your own friends are found spying on you! I will get your powers no matter who I harm and what risks I have to take." The darkness swirled around her with greater intensity, at times blinding her. Her own golden aura seemed insufficient against it, and she felt as though she was falling into a pit of shadows. _

"_Chihiro, where are you?" Chihiro looked around her trying to trace the source of the voice. Was it really him or the Evil One impersonating him? _

_She opened her mouth and cried out, "Over here! I don't know if you can see me though." The shadows around her began to shift violently as a faint light appeared in front of her, it grew brighter the closer it crept towards her. Chihiro backed away from it, unsure what sort of creature was generating such light and whether it was friend or foe. _

_Only did she realize that it was Haku did she dare approach. "Good you're okay." He said when he saw her approach. _

_Chihiro stopped. "Should I be?" _

"_Well I did see the Evil One walk towards you and he did look as if he was about to attack, so I was worried about your safety." Chihiro nodded but otherwise didn't respond, Haku looked as if he was going to inquire about something but didn't say anything. The darkness slowly faded away to reveal a patch of grassy land by a rapidly running river. Its water was as clear as thousands of sparkling crystals and reflected everything in the sky above it. _

_Chihiro watched as the river water flowed around a few boulders that lay in its path, and down a small ledge some yards away from her. "It's beautiful here," she commented, "I felt as if I've seen it before but I can't actually recall what it's called and having actually been here." _

"_I'm not surprised." Haku said his tone an undistinguishable mix of loss, sorrow, and joy. She looked at him wondering what he was thinking and if he knew where they were. A small pink shoe drifted past them in the unseen swirling eddies of water. _

_At first she was confused, but she later figured out where they were. "Oh I see," Chihiro murmured softly, "it must be painful for you to see it again." He didn't reply as he walked towards the river, its gentle blue waters rushing past them as if it had better places to be. A single tear fell out of his eyes and into the river, creating ripples that distorted his reflection. _

_She watched him, wondering what exactly happened to his river. The last time she saw it was when she moved from their old house by it to a new one miles away from it. "I guess you could say that I really missed it," Haku replied solemnly, "It's been a while since I last saw it in this condition. It's the same way for both Yoshiro and Hikari." As curious as she was, she did not ask what happened to either his or his sibling's rivers. It was apparent that he did not wish to dwell upon the subject she walked towards him thinking that she might comfort him._

_Chihiro found herself starring into the river's swirling currents as she stood next to Haku, its crystal waters rushing towards another place. "So what's happening at the palace?" Haku suddenly asked. "How's Hikari been doing, she hasn't caused any trouble has she?"_

"_I thought that you wouldn't be able to talk about stuff like that here." She replied quite shocked._

"_We have to learn to move on, especially after a traumatizing incident. If we didn't, then the entire world would be a sadder place with everyone thinking of the sorrows they encountered in the past. Think of what things could happen in a world ruled by sorrow, a world without joy. There wouldn't be anything worth living for, and evil could easily destroy what little light was left." _

"_I guess, but I still don't understand how you can move on without being reminded of the sadness that you fell and have felt."_

"_I am reminded, everyday I look around myself some little aspect of life always seems to remind me of my river. You still have to move on though; you have to learn that there are more things in life than just plan sadness. You still haven't answered my question though."_

_Chihiro carefully said the words wondering if the Evil One was present, "She's doing fine, nothing really big happened besides Sakura's disappearance." _

"_Who's Sakura?" Haku asked confused._

"_Oh I forgot to tell you, a female dragon spirit came to the palace a few days ago. Her name was Sakura and she turned out to be a relative of mine?"_

"_How do you know that she wasn't lying?"_

"_Hikari knew her, and she found the connection between me and her." _

"_Hikari knew her?"_

"_Yeah she met her a couple of years ago."_

"_Hmm," Haku said thoughtfully, "Hikari never talked about Sakura though Keiko did mention that she and Hikari went on a trip to the Spirit World a few years ago. I wonder if that's when she met her, during that trip. So Sakura disappeared? Do you know where's she might be?"_

"_Well she did leave a letter in her room, and it said that she was going to search for you. Then it said not to worry about her because she felt she was going to be of more help searching for you and the others rather than just staying in the palace. At the end it said that she would be staying in a place that some of us are familiar with, but will not remember because of the darkness that surrounds it."_

_Haku repeated the message to himself trying to see if he would remember something. Then it occurred to him where Sakura might be. "Do you suppose that she went to Aburaya?"_

"_Why would she want to….oh I see. It fits the description given in the letter, but isn't Aburaya a famous bathhouse or something? If that's true then I'm sure a lot of spirits would know about it."_

"_That's true, but not everyone's familiar with the bathhouse itself. Many spirits only know of a bathhouse called Aburaya, but for those that haven't visited or worked there. They wouldn't know of much of it." Chihiro nodded, Haku's logic made a lot of sense to her. _

"_For some reason though, I don't think that she went there. Something about her going to that place doesn't seem right." _

"_Well it's the only place that I can think of that fits those terms, unless she was talking about a place that lay outside of Aburaya but close enough so that it would be threatened by the dark forces." _

_Chihiro thought for a moment before speaking, "Do you suppose that she went to Swamp's Bottom?"_

"_You think that she went to Zeniba's cabin?" Haku asked quizzically. "Unless you guys told her about it and where it was located she wouldn't know about it." _

"_I don't think we told her about it directly, but we might have mentioned it in one of our conversations with either Sora or Hikari. She might have overheard if we did." _

"_Then she's probably at Swamp's Bottom with No-face. Unless he came with you on this little trip or left Zeniba's cabin for some reason, both of which I doubt." A silence soon enveloped them in its silent arms, and the numerous voices of the river could be heard. Chihiro watched quietly as the river sped past them, and both her and Haku's reflections were cast upon its glossy surface like a natural mirror. _

"_It's almost as if we were meant to be together." She thought to herself. Haku sensed the same thing and shifted uneasily, unnerved by the distance between him and his love._

_The area around them began to grow brighter, and the scenes began to disappear. The last thing she saw before she opened her eyes was the rushing river and Haku. _

Chihiro groaned, unwilling to open her eyes. Sunlight streamed through her room in great quantities. Snatches of her conversation with Haku flashed through her mind. One statement spoken by Haku stayed rooted in her mind, unable to shake it off she absently thought about its meaning. Moments later she was found in a pale pink kimono walking out of her room.

Rin was walking out of her room at that time. She smiled when she saw her friend, "Good morning Chihiro."

"Hey Rin is it okay if I talk to you about something?" Chihiro asked. "First we have to wait for the others to wake up though, because I want them to hear what I have to say as well."

"Fine with me, but let's get some breakfast first." Chihiro agreed and the two walked towards the Indigo Room.


	24. Origins Revealed

Chapter Twenty-Four: Origins Revealed

Hikari toyed with her Emerald pendent. Kai had resumed his phoenix form and was flying above her. The sky was a perfect azure blue dotted by a few silky white clouds. Kai screeched twice and landed on her shoulder. He stared at her with his beady eyes cocking his head from side to side.

"Sorry Kai but I just don't feel like talking to you right now." she told the bird.

Kai warbled twice and leapt onto the grassy ground besides her, transforming into a normal boy of about 15 as soon as he touched the ground. "Sure you don't want to talk about it?" he asked her. Hikari nodded.

Sora decided to intrude upon their small gathering at that time. "Hey Hikari something wrong?" she asked her younger sister, when she saw her forlorn expression. Hikari shook her head, her emerald eyes suddenly weary as tears collected within her eyes. She appeared suddenly older, as if she really had lived over a hundred. "I was just thinking about some things." She whispered softly.

Sora, still unconvinced that Hikari was fine, sat down next to her. "Want to talk about it?" she asked. Hikari sighed and walked away, her countenance that of the distant look of yearning.

"What's wrong with her? She seems really quiet today; I've never known her to be like this before."

"Me neither." Kai agreed. "I think I know what might cause it, but I'm not sure if she'll talk about it."

"Do you think it might have something to do with the Emerald of Dragon choosing her?"

"No, it has something to do with Haku."

"Haku? Wait did they find him or is he…."

"No, it's more related to Sakura's departure. I think one of these days we may wake to find that she left in the same way that Sakura did." Sora looked at Kai in surprise and shock.

"I'd better to go and talk to her." Sora ran after her sister while Kai watched.

"Hikari wait up!" Hikari stopped when she heard her older sister call after her.

She waited until Sora had caught up with her before saying, "Listen Sora, I really don't want to talk about it right now. I just want to think about some things undisturbed."

"Hikari if it has anything to do with…." Her sister left before she could finish. Sora shook her head and walked away.

Hikari silently walked to her room, her Emerald pendent dangled from her neck hidden from sight. _They don't understand. _She thought to herself as she entered her room and closed the door behind her. _They just don't understand the pain I've been through, and now this. My life seems to be a journey of sorrow, one after another quickly dashing from one to the other never stopping. I really wonder what the point of living is after this, this life that I have lived if you can even call it that. Sometimes I wish I wasn't immortal, at least I would be able to journey to the other world and live in peace. Death really isn't so bad sometimes. _

She looked outside to find her sister and Kai talking below her. Kai looked up at her and waved, she waved back unsure of what to do. Sora looked upwards and shouted, "Hey Hikari you sure you don't want to tell us what's troubling you?" Kai said something to her, but she ignored him.

"I'm fine Sora," she assured her sister, "really. I'm just thinking about something."

"Well okay then if something's troubling you, feel free to talk to us!" Hikari only nodded though she felt like killing Sora. _I wish Sora would just leave me alone; she's more annoying now than she was before at least before I could deal with her. _

Sighing she walked out of her room, she needed to be somewhere alone where she wouldn't be disturbed. A memory of when she and Kai snuck into the Royal Chamber to look at the Emerald of Dragons. Smiling to herself, she walked towards the chamber.

She bumped into Chihiro as she walked out of her room. "Oh sorry Chihiro," Hikari apologized sheepishly, "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"No it's okay," Chihiro replied, "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What did you want to talk to me about? If it's not important then if you'll excuse me I have somewhere I need to go."

"I just wanted to congratulate you on your recent discovery; I also wanted to ask you some questions about the Emerald of Dragons."

"Ask away, I have nothing better to do anyway."

"I was wondering who would wield the Emerald of Dragons when the time came that we had to face the Evil One."

Hikari hesitated for a second before saying, "I'm not exactly sure, but I think you would wield the Emerald of Dragons as a temporary weapon until you find the opal pendent that you're supposed to inherit from Sakura."

"Then does the same thing apply to the Ruby of Phoenixes?" Chihiro asked.

"I'm not sure, but it's very possible. You may want to ask Kai first about both stones, he seems to know more about them than me."

"Okay then, well then I have to talk to your dad for some reason that I'm not entirely sure of. I think it might have something to do with Haku." Chihiro hurried towards the Central Chamber soon after.

Hikari soon arrived at the Royal Chamber a few minutes later as it wasn't too far from her room. There where two guards guarding the entrance to the room as she had expected. "I Hikari, last daughter of the Dragon King, seek entrance into this room." The guards parted as they had the last time and she entered the room.

Sunlight streamed through the screen doors, illuminating the room in a pale golden light. A few people sat in the room reading or discussing current events. Hikari ignored them as she sat down, most of those gathered were people with whom she was not familiar with or would not recognize her.

_Finally a quiet place where I can relax without being bothered by Sora, I just hope she hasn't followed me here. _She looked apprehensively at the door for five minutes before she finally calmed down assured that Sora hadn't followed her. Hikari fingered her pendent nervously as she recalled the events that happened to pass just after the Emerald of Dragons had chosen her.

_I wish Sakura was here; at least she could help me understand more about the power stones. _She couldn't help but think as she slowly removed the Emerald pendent. "Hey Hikari," Sora's sudden appearance startled Hikari, "I thought that it might be a good idea to follow you after you left your room, even though Kai disagreed."

"Sora," Hikari told her sister, annoyed, "just what are you doing here? I came here to relax and think over a few recent events that have been troubling me for a while now."

"Sora," Kai said nervously, "we should really think about leaving. Obviously Hikari doesn't want to talk about it."

"Kai will you stop being so nervous! I came to find out what's been worrying Hikari and I won't leave until I find out."

"What if I don't want to tell you what has been troubling me so?"

"Then we'll stay here and annoy you until you're willing to tell us." Hikari frowned and walked to a different part of the room away from Sora and Kai. Fortunately, Kai convinced Sora to not follow her. Hikari smirked as Sora grimaced at the aspect of her sister's thoughts being undisturbed when they troubled her so. She slowly fingered the glowing Emerald before putting the pendent back on.

Hearing footsteps creeping closer towards her, Hikari turned around to find herself staring at Kai. "I thought you wouldn't mind the company." He told her as he sat down next to her.

"What do you want?" she asked. "Sora didn't convince you to interrogate me did she?"

"No, I just thought that you might have some unanswered questions about the stones am I correct?" Hikari didn't reply her eyes fixed on a certain spot in the room never moving. Her pendant's glow lessened a bit.

"How did you guess?" Hikari asked her voice barely above a whisper. Her dull green eyes adverted their attention towards Kai.

"Well you seemed a bit…uneasy, almost as if you were nervous about some sort of impending doom that you knew would come upon you within seconds."

"I guess you could say that, though I should point out that it's a really awkward way of putting it."

"I've never seen anything like it before, and thought that you wouldn't know what I'm talking about." Hikari chuckled at the thought of Kai; the wise scholar that he was, being left speechless was absolutely hilarious.

"What's so funny? Well at least you're laughing, go on laugh. You kind of freaked me out being so quiet and such. You usually aren't like that." Hikari blinked. The feeling that she had when she had gone with Kai to the Royal Chamber slowly returned. Suddenly uncomfortable knowing that they were starring at each other, she looked away.

"Um are you feeling okay?" Kai asked his expression that of great perplexion.

"Yeah I was just thinking about some things. So…uh…could you explain the powers of the stones for me then?"

"Sure I guess, you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I'm fine Kai! Stop acting like Sora already!"

Kai grinned, "She's just worried about you, but I know what you mean. Well then I guess I should start with the Emerald of Dragons since it's the one that choose you and the one you're most influenced by. Let me start with the origin of the power stones. There were three of them as far as I am concerned the Emerald of Dragons, the Ruby of Phoenixes, and the Great Opal. There may be lesser stones that are in some way connected to them, may it be the intensity of their powers or the things that these lesser stones affect. The three power stones were made by spirits and were named accordingly so the Ruby was made by a phoenix and the emerald was made by a dragon. As you know the Great Opal was made by the first Dragon of Nature whom you will recall as Chihiro's ancestor. The Emerald was created by one of your ancestors, who also happened to be a ruler of dragons. During his reign there was an uprising among lesser known of his people they were tricked into believing that he was a tyrant whose only goal was to the benefit himself and let those under his command suffer for this. Of course this was not true and to make matters worse they were turned into the Lord of all Shadows' servants, this spirit was the predecessor to the Evil One if you did not know already.

"Because of this a long a bitter war arouse between the forces of good and darkness. To his disappointment this particular king's forces were losing, they just weren't powerful enough to defeat to opposing forces. Unable to think of any else to do, he summoned all his forces into an assault on his opponents. As you can expect they were losing badly towards the end of the battle, but just when things seemed hopeless he spotted a large emerald lying on the ground. Remembering the ability of stones to multiply the amount of energy put into it as it would search for links between the input energy and other energy sources; he summoned all of his energy as well as the energy of his forces and put them into the stone. It must have been a wondrous sight to behold as the emerald glowed with all of the powers it contained, and that ancestor of yours used the Emerald to win both the battle and the war by containing the Lord of all Shadows."

Hikari fingered her Emerald shard, "So that means that I was related to the creator of the Emerald of Dragons, and Chihiro is related to the creator of the Great Opal. Does that mean that you're related to the creator of the Ruby of Phoenixes?"

"No I'm not. Another spirit named Kasumi is though she was also chosen by the Ruby."

Sora walked over to the two friends at that moment, "Hey guys what are you talking about?"

"Ask Kai." Hikari snapped.

"It's nothing that concerns you." Kai told her calmly.

"What if I want to know anyway?" Sora snarled. "Could you at least hint at what you were so enthusiastically discussing?"

"Kai's past," her sister sighed. "He was telling me about his childhood."

"Did you find out anything really interesting?"

"Not really…"

"Care to share what you learned?"

"No, besides he's right behind you so you can ask him what you would like to know." Sora stared at the two sitting in front of her and walked away.

"My past, was that all you could think of?" Kai asked Hikari after Sora left and reached over to lightly punch her arm.

"It was the first thing that came to mind," Hikari replied innocently, "besides the fact that you aren't related to spirited who created the Ruby of Phoenixes does count as a portion of your history." Kai shook his head, hoping desperately that Sora hadn't overheard their conversation.


	25. Departure from the Castle

Chapter Twenty-Five: Departure from the Castle

Chihiro absently organized the room, her mouth curved into a diminutive frown. Sorrow overcame her making it impossible for her to speak, tears streamed down her face in an endless cascade. _Why do I have to leave? What do the phoenixes want of me anyhow? _She thought to herself bitterly. Deep inside though she knew that it was useless, at least among the phoenix colonies she might be of use in the search for Haku and the battle against the Evil One.

"Leaving so soon?" Chihiro turned around to face her stern amber-eyed teacher staring at her.

"Hai sensei," she said bowing respectfully as was expected of her.

"Then take this," she caught a small black stone wrapped in rich gold cloth that her teacher threw at her, "it'll help protect you in the battle against the Evil One."

"Uh thanks…" was all Chihiro could manage to say in reply as her teacher walked away. _That's strange, _she thought to herself staring at the shimmering black stone, _why would he want to give me this stone? He's not the exactly the nicest teacher I've ever known, and has always seemed to hold some sort of ill will against me. Maybe he's just doing this because he realizes the importance of the recent events; in any case I'd better keep it in case I do have to rely on its powers to protect me. _She safely rewrapped the stone in the shimmering gold cloth and put it into her jacket pocket.

Hikari walked into her room, "done packing yet?"

"Yeah," Chihiro muttered gruffly, "is it okay if I spend a few more minutes in here? I'm really going to miss this place, so many things events have happened to me here."

"Okay then, I'll wait for you out in the hallway." Hikari left the room. Chihiro sighed as her friend left. So many things had happened to her while staying in here, in the place where Haku dwelled for most of his youth. _I really miss him. _She thought to herself as she walked out of the room, making sure to close the door behind her.

"You sure you don't want to stay there for a few more minutes?" Hikari asked her.

"No it's okay," Chihiro told her, "besides too many horrible memories come to mind the longer I stay." Hikari nodded, and walked away Chihiro absently followed her paying little attention to the route they were taking.

"Okay we're here," Hikari announced suddenly, "now all we have to do is to wait for Kai which hopefully won't take very long." Chihiro looked around herself; they were at the entrance to the palace the one they had taken when first arriving.

"Hope you guys haven't been waiting too long." Kai said as he walked towards them, like Hikari and Chihiro he didn't bring anything with him except for the Ruby pendent that always hung around his neck.

"No we just got here." Hikari told him.

"Good. Well I guess we're leaving then, it's been a while since I last saw the phoenix colony where we are headed to."

"Aren't the others coming with us?" Chihiro asked.

"No, the council asked to see just you and Hikari." He exited the palace, with Hikari and Chihiro following him. They changed into their other forms just before arriving at the gate to the palace; they passed through the gate without incident.

_I wish Sakura was here. _Chihiro found herself thinking as they flew through the cloudy sky. At times flying through the clouds, which was seldom as Kai was a phoenix and didn't like getting water in his feathers, which were sensitive to water. Hikari though didn't seem to notice the Kai's discomfort whenever they flew to a cloud; by the expression she wore it was clear that she was thinking about something. Her emerald eyes seemed to lose the energy that was usually found glowing within. Despite her concern about her friend, Chihiro did not try to comfort or inquire about Hikari's current state.

Sunlight streamed through the clouds, illuminating the three friends in its brilliant glowing light. Kai banked to the right, towards the sun, and disappeared into a cloud located directly to the right side of him nearly losing Chihiro and Hikari in the process. Hikari hissed with anger after they caught up with the young phoenix.

_"Sorry about that,"_ Kai apologized quietly, his voice barely recognizable from the soft caww embedded within his voice. Hikari snorted in reply, her eyes observing the landscape below her and the clouds that seemed to surround her in great snowy walls forming sculptures of condensed vapors. The horizon undetectable because of the massive clouds surrounding them it seemed as though they were being trapped within cages of the fluffy white formations.

Chihiro watched the world around her with her intelligent dark brown eyes, the color of dirt after a rainstorm. Her flowing golden main tossed gently by the chilly breeze that existed at the altitude at which they were flying in. She sighed; flying was one of the few things that she was fond of. It helped calm her whenever she was stressed or nervous, she felt that all the worries that had chained her were irrelevant once in the air. Noticing that Kai and Hikari had just flown into a large cloud to the northwest she followed them.

They flew on for what seemed like hours, the sun slowly rising higher in the dome-like sky its light shinning upon them, reflecting the pale scales of the dragons and the fiery red feathers of the phoenix. Kai screeched in ecstasy as a glass-like palace came into view, it was surrounded by other glossy buildings their almost translucent alabaster walls glowing with the golden light of the sun. The palace and the other buildings sat atop a grassy island, which hovered hundreds of feet above the land in the sky. Clouds surrounded it and encircled its uppermost pinnacle located in the high dome of the palace.

_It's so beautiful, _Chihiro thought to herself amazed at the scene that she was witnessing. As they neared the phoenix colony, three fierce-looking phoenixes flew towards them. Two were snowy white, their wings seemingly imitating the beauty of ice and snow, their light grayish sapphire eyes glistened with years of untold stories. The third was a brilliant golden red; its feathers seemed to mimic fiery flames dancing amid the shadows. "Who are you and why do you seek entrance into the colony of Baihu?" The ruby phoenix asked its eyes suspicious and wary.

Kai dipped his head in respect, "I, the messenger Kai, return to the phoenix colony of Baihu with the dragons Hikari and Chihiro upon recent orders given unto me by the council."

"You may enter," The phoenixes parted and opened a foreboding steel gate circling the city so that Kai and the others may enter. Chihiro gazed in wonderment at the splendor of the city of the phoenixes.

_Stop staring Chihiro! We didn't come here to tour this place, we were summoned remember? _Hikari snapped at Chihiro. Her emerald eyes blazed with anger, and she absently snarled at Kai who was flying in front of them.

_Sorry about that Hikari. I guess I kind of forgot the reason why we came here in the first place. _Chihiro replied quite sheepishly.

_No it's alright Chihiro I too have to admit that it's quite spectacular. _Kai reassured her.

_You were listening in onto our conversation! If I'm telling something to Chihiro, you could at least assume that it's private. _Hikari said accusingly.

_Sorry about that then Hikari. Though I do admit what I did was wrong, you seem a bit grumpy today is something wrong?_

_Nothing's wrong Kai! You're like Sora; every time I'm not behaving normally you think that it's your duty to try to try to figure out what's causing it. Would you mind your own business for once? _Kai didn't reply, but instead flew towards the palace at a slower pace as if waiting for his friends to catch up with him. His expression was unfathomable, as if he was hiding something. Hikari flew up to him her eyes glistening furiously. She snarled at him, her distaste at what he was doing obvious.

Kai stopped and turned to face her, his eyes glowing venomously. _We're just worried about you Hikari, something's troubling you and both of us know it. Is it Haku? Does it have anything to do with the Evil One? Is there something about the Emerald that's bothering you? _

Hikari looked at Kai and snorted. _You're not even close to what's been troubling me. If you want to know you'll have to figure it out for yourself because I'm not telling you. _Kai hissed in distaste, but didn't argue. Chihiro flew up to both of them, her dark brown eyes observing both patiently. She had an idea what it was that was troubling Hikari.

_Its Sakura isn't it? You've been a bit uneasy ever since her departure. _Hikari looked at Chihiro, and nodded.

_Was it really that obvious? _Hikari asked Chihiro.

_It depends; some think it obvious while others do not. Um Kai maybe you should turn around and guide us the rest of the way to the palace even though we already know where it is located. _Kai chuckled and agreed, turning around he flew the rest of the way to the glass-like structure that was the palace, its silvery domes and arches sparkling amid the clouds.

Two snowy white phoenixes greeted them as they entered the high arch that was the gateway. "The council members have been expecting you." They said in unison. Their silvery eyes watching them carefully, an icy aura seemed to surround them both. Both looked to be two birds carved out of ice and snow during the height of the winter. Kai dipped his head towards them in respect, to his surprise Chihiro and Hikari did the same, before landing on the ground and transforming into his mortal form. To which the dragons also did without complaint.

He walked into the glossy palace, as did Chihiro and Hikari. A tall girl with flowing back hair leaned against the doorway. Her dark eyes inspected them carefully, as if trying to decide whether they were friend or foe. "Hey Kai want to chat afterwards?" she asked him when he passed her.

"Uh sure Kasumi," Kai stopped and told her, "though it kind of depends on if the council wants to talk to me afterwards about the messages I had to relay to the Dragon King and if they have any other important duties they want me to carry out." Kasumi frowned; thoughts streamed through her mind ideas of how to override the council's intent.

"I'll see if I can arrange for you to meet with me afterwards so that we can chat." She walked away, disappearing into a passageway a few feet in front of them. The three resumed their journey to the Council Hall, where they were expected to meet with the council, soon afterwards. It didn't take long for them to reach the oval shaped room with high arched ceilings. An elegant golden chandelier hung loftily above them, light streaming through the tiny crystals dangling from it was cast throughout the room.

In front of them sat twelve men and women, they sat in chairs located in a balcony draped with luxurious maroon velvet. Each of the council members looked imposing and grim, as if they had just received some very unfortunate news. Kai bowed when he saw them, and so did his fellow travelers.

An especially grim-faced lady addressed him after the three had risen from their bow, "So you have returned Kai, as we have expected you have brought Chihiro and Hikari with you. Am I correct?"

"Hai," Kai replied.

The lady turned to his companions, "Which one of you is Chihiro Ogino?"

"That would be me," Chihiro said rather pitifully.

The council member though didn't seem to notice and turned to Hikari, "I suppose you are Hikari then?"

"Hai," Hikari said bowing again.

"You didn't have to do that Hikari, once is enough or trice if you prefer. You have come here for a reason, Hikari and Chihiro, you are to be tested. Sadly the Dragon King misinterpreted our message to him and had both of you trained before the testing. Our objective was to test you before you the training, so that we had an accurate impression of your abilities. This is only a minor inconvenience though and shall not affect the testing as horribly as you might imagine. I do suppose that you are tired though and have allowed for all you, Kai included, to rest for a few hours before the actual testing is conducted. Kai, I expect you to take them to the guest room where our guests will be staying. You may leave, that is all I wish to say."

Chihiro and her friends left the room, after bowing first. "We're not going to have to stay long here are we?" Hikari asked once they were a good distance away from the Council Hall.

"It depends on the results of the testing and if the council has any plans for you later on." Kai replied blankly. "I wouldn't expect to stay here too long though; it's very possible that you will have to move to another part of the city to continue your studies."

"Continue our studies? I thought that…" Hikari said, shocked.

"Yes Hikari you are expected to continue your training here, the results of your testing will determine the level at which you will be placed."

"I have to be tested too? I thought that just Chihiro had to be tested and that I had to come along because of the fact that I had the Emerald shard."

"If you knew anything about the Council of Phoenixes, you would know they wouldn't anything useless like that. If they wanted to know who it was that now wields a piece of the Emerald they would have sent me to ask the Dragon King. Besides it's a tradition of the council to test those who are newly chosen by the power stones. Don't ask why, because you'll find out later when you're to be tested." Hikari grumbled, but otherwise didn't complain. "Okay we're here, luckily for you two my quarters aren't too far away. I'm staying in the room next to Hikari's just so you know."

Kai pointed to one of the cedar doors that lined the hallway. "This is my room; the one directly to the left of it is Hikari's. Chihiro, yours is to the left of Hikari's." Chihiro obediently followed Kai's directions to her room. When she opened to the door she found herself starring into a lavishly decorated room with tiny statues and carvings made of marble, jade, and granite. She let out a small gasp upon entering, for the room had several other doors within it leading to three other rooms. She found these rooms to be a bedroom, a bathroom, and a quiet study with a sturdy low oak table lying in the center. Along the shelves of the study were scrolls and books arranged neatly on the reddish brown shelves.

She found plants growing in beautifully carved pots placed in the study, the entrance hall, the main entrance room, as well as a few leafy plants that were found in her bedroom. Chihiro absently wandered into each of the rooms gazing at the decor and the elegant furniture within each. It took a while for her to believe that the rooms where to be hers for the next few days while she resided within the phoenixes' palace. She kneeled upon a lavishly embroidered mat lying besides a low end table that was placed in the center of the study, gazing at the scrolls and books that filled the shelves that lined the room.

The phoenixes were obviously much worldlier than the dragons from what she saw and wondered why. _I should ask Kai when I meet up for him later, but for now I'm just content to rest for a while. _She thought to herself as she plucked a volume off of the shelf and began to read.


	26. Escape Route

Chapter Twenty-Six: Escape Route

Keiko busily jammed a piece of wire bended into the crude shape of a key into the lock. Dark ruby runes were etched into its slender sides, it glowed brightly like the flames it represented. Haku sighed when the gate swung open when he pushed on it with his weight. "I told you it would work and you wouldn't believe me." Keiko told him. Natsuko and Yoshiro were standing next to her, both had transformed into their dragon forms using the last bit of energy they had.

"I guess I should have trusted you," Haku told her smiling, "well you're the one whose been going out for nightly excursions. So how do we get out of here?" Yoshiro snorted looking at Keiko intently.

"Well…there I found a hidden tunnel a bit a ways down from here that we can use to rest for a while. I've been storing food and such in there so we can stay in the tunnel if need be. I also was able to find some charcoal and a bit of paper that I used to draw a general map of the area, the guard rotations and everything are also put on it."

"You thought of pretty much everything, I'm impressed."

"Thanks Haku," she said shyly, "but we really must get going before the guards notice that we're out of our cells." Haku nodded and stepped out of the cell, as planned he transformed into a dragon once he came out and stood by the other two dragons. Keiko closed the iron gate carefully and locked it, to make it appear that they had somehow disappeared from their cells.

Knowing that the dragons would appreciate it if she didn't sit on their backs, she walked to tunnel six cells doors away in the direction of the interrogation room. Her friends followed her as was expected of them, but they became suspicious when they found the tunnel to be close to the interrogation room. "I swear I'm not kidding," Keiko insisted upon their angry glances at her, "I found that the route leading to the exit requires us to sneak behind the interrogation room by the way of the tunnel." Haku and Natsuko seemed half convinced, but Yoshiro started to snarl at her. Luckily for her, Haku managed to block a blow from his brother aimed at her. Natsuko growled something and he stopped his attacks and frequent snarls.

_Wonder what she told him. _She thought to herself as they came upon the dark shadowy tunnel. _Whatever it was it sure calmed him down. _"Well here we are guys," she told them as they crept into the tunnel, "feel free to stay in here for as long as you like. The guards don't tend to visit this area as much as our cells so we should be safe for a while."

The dragons snorted in reply, their eyes focused hungrily on some food she had managed to salvage from the kitchen located far from there. They hungrily devoured three apples and a limp carrot she had found one day before laying down to rest. Despite her gnawing hunger, Keiko forced herself to eat only half of the seven remaining apples reminding herself they would need to last for however many days it took them to escape and arrive at a place where they could seek shelter for a while.

_I wish they could fly out of here, but they're probably too weak from the torment and conditions here that it would be suicide to even attempt doing that. Oh well, I guess I'll have to sneak over to the kitchens and steal some food for us while they're resting. _Keiko thought wryly to herself as she pulled out a rather dingy-looking piece of paper from underneath some rags she had found. On it were the crude shapes and lines representing passageways as well as descriptions written next to certain areas written in her neat hand. _It's a wonder I'm still able to write and understand Japanese after all that I've been through, and besides there really hasn't been a need to study it at all. _After making sure that her friends were sleeping soundly, she crept out of the tunnel carrying the map with her.

Without gazing upon its surface she adeptly walked along the cool and slightly damp hallways of the dungeon. Dark stones glittered whenever the light of the torches that dotted the hallways touched them. Hearing voices she stopped and hid behind a wall, it wasn't until they had passed that she dare emerge from her hiding spot and swiftly yet silently run down the hallway towards a large imposing door. Remembering a secret entrance she had found, she slipped into an empty cell next to the kitchen. Its iron bars bended in a gap large enough to squeeze through. Inside the cell she found a hole large enough to crawl through in the far left corner.

She crawled through the damp tunnel, moss and mold lined much of the stone. Water and other liquids tended to gather in small pools at its bottom, and it wasn't before long that her hands and legs became lined with a cold slimly liquid. Keiko grimaced, as she did every time she used this passageway to get to the kitchen. She always wished for a better way to sneak into the kitchen, but so far she had found none except for the tunnel.

Bones of the creatures that dared wander through the grotesque tunnels into the kitchen beyond were scattered throughout the tunnel at random places. They were mainly mice, rats, and voles though a few cats were found there as well as the rotting corpses of two dogs. The smell was unbearable and the first time she had gone this way she nearly screamed when she crushed the alabaster bones of a few mice heaped into a small pile.

Keiko still shuddered when she felt a pile of cold bones collapse underneath her weight. _Just a few more feet and I'll be in the kitchen. _She thought to herself as she crawled towards a candle placed near the exit of the tunnel. Carefully Keiko clambered out of the tunnel once she reached the kitchen, a large dimly lit room filled with an assortment of kitchen accessories and a variety of edibles.

_Good there's no one here. _She thought to herself as she plucked a few apples from the neatly arranged platter on an intricately carved wooden countertop. Keiko then wandered to another part of the kitchen and grabbed six handfuls of berries into a basket she had found lying near by the tunnel entrance. Next to the berries she placed the apples she had stolen.

Spotting potatoes and other vegetables in a burlap bag, she walked over to it and chooses a few vegetables to put into the basket. Hearing voices Keiko scurried into the tunnel. "They're so demanding!" she heard someone, a female, say. "I'm just glad that they haven't yet asked for us to cook them such meals every day."

"Well," a male replied, "it supposed to be an important dinner. He's trying to impress someone, probably found someone to spend his time with."

"It could be that He returned." Another female muttered, shuddering. "You know how they tend to act when He returns." The other two mumbled their agreement.

"Great the rats returned," the first female muttered a few minutes latter after examining a burlap bag. _That's my cue to get out of here. _Keiko thought to herself as she crawled through the tunnel, clutching her precious basket of food protectively. The darkness of the tunnel made it hard for her to see where she was going, and even harder for her to locate where she had placed the basket of food. Yet she managed to be able to carry the basket out of the tunnel without incident and quietly snuck through the hole in the cell door. The map placed safely beneath the pile of food she had managed to gather.

When she returned to the tunnel entrance by their former cells, she found her friends still resting. Quietly Keiko dumped the basket full of goods onto the other food she had managed to gather. Haku stirred at the noise and opened his eyes. He glanced sleepily at her and snorted quietly before falling back asleep. She could sense his questioning thoughts and answered them thus. _I was out gathering food for you guys, after witnessing you devour most of the apples I managed to flinch. I decided that it wasn't a bad idea to gather more apples, and a variety of other foods. We'll need them for our escape anyway as it might take a while before we can find a safe place to seek shelter in. _

_Keiko, you've really thought of everything. _Haku told her sleepily before falling blissfully asleep. Keiko nodded and looked at the three dragons; she too was tired and wished that she could rest. She knew that she couldn't though, if someone found the tunnel and its inhabitants all would be lost. All of her plans would be useless.

She sighed, leaning against the cool stone wall of the tunnel. Taking out the map, she aimlessly scanned its dimly lit surface. Quietly she reviewed the plan, making sure she took note of all things that could befall them while trying to escape. Every detail, no matter how miniscule, mattered while trying to escape. If someone spotted them, no matter if it was friend or foe, they would lose their badly needed advantage.

_You look tired; do you want me to take over? _Keiko turned to face Yoshiro who was starring at her with soft eyes.

_Hmm, no it's okay. I really don't mind, you can go back to sleep now. _Keiko told the dragon. Yoshiro considered it for a moment before clambering over the other two dragons to get to her. He looked her over, his eyes considerate and questioning.

_I've always wondered what it is about humans that entrance my brother so much. He's hasn't been quite the same after Chihiro left, and I've always wondered why. First I thought that it was just a weakness of his, but now I understand that's not why he is attracted to them or at least Chihiro in particular. Perhaps it's their strength and determination to succeed. I found that in Chihiro and now I find that in you. _

_Um…yeah that might be it. _

_You're opinion wasn't asked for Keiko!_

_Sorry I just assumed that you wouldn't mind me…_

_It's alright though, I understand. _Yoshiro looked at her and snorted. _Do you want me to wake the others? You would be given a chance to carry out your plan before we waste too many of your valuable supplies or are found in this tunnel. _

_No it's alright; they're tired and need rest. You do too. _Keiko told him wearily. He looked at her and snorted, before crawling back to the spot next to Natsuko and falling back asleep.

_Maybe I should have let Yoshiro take over, but he's more tired than I am. He's usually found sleeping along with Natsuko; the interrogations tire those two out the most. _She thought about the events that had led her to this moment. Keiko sighed and looked about herself, besides her she were placed the four keys she had used for their escape. Runes were etched upon their sides, each glowed a different color and with it a different element. Hearing voices coming towards them she hastily wakened the others. She quickly packed the variety of supplies, including the keys, into the rags as well as a few baskets and had her friends help carry them.

The voices grew louder and footsteps could be heard as the four friends dashed into the shadowy tunnels never looking back. As the darkness of the tunnel enveloped them, a dim shout of surprise could be heard. Keiko winced instinctively; the guards had found out that they had escaped. The dragons sensed it as well and gave a low growl. They dashed swiftly towards the end of the tunnel, Keiko following closely behind despite the speed of the dragons that she was forced to match.

Her legs began to ache soon after because of the tiresome pace they were running in. _Sleep must have really helped them. _She thought to herself dryly, nevertheless she didn't complain knowing the danger that lay behind them.

_Keiko, you've explored this tunnel before, which way do we go? _Natsuko asked suddenly. Realizing that the dragons had stopped and were inspecting a fork in the tunnel she stopped and nearly crashed into Yoshiro. He snarled at her.

"Sorry Yoshiro," Keiko apologized quickly, "the right tunnel leads to the exit." Natsuko and Haku bolted into the right tunnel, their eyes glistening at the thought of the freedom that lay beyond. Yoshiro and Keiko followed closely behind.

Yoshiro, noticing that Keiko was tiring, asked her, _do you want be to carry you on my back? It would be less tiring and we would go faster._

_No it's fine, besides I'm sure that you're tired from your ordeal. _

_Oh really… hurry up and climb on I don't have time for this. _He stopped and Keiko did as she was told.

_You sure that you want to do this; I don't mind running you know. _

_Of course I want to do this! Now hold on. _Keiko tightly gripped the long ivory horns protruding from his head and he dashed to catch up with the others.

_I thought that you detested humans Yoshiro. _Haku teased his younger brother when he saw him.

_I did and still do; I'm just doing this for the sake of Keiko. She was tiring. _Yoshiro replied calmly.

_Will both of you please be quiet? At least it's faster this way, though I'm sure either your brother or I won't mind carrying her if you get tired or tire of Keiko. _Natsuko snapped at the two brothers. The youngest grunted in reply, while the eldest simply snorted.

It wasn't soon before they could hear shouts coming from the area a head of them. Everyone's spirits rose as they slowed down a bit, they had neared the end of the tunnel.

A few feet before the tunnel exit, Keiko suggested a break. The others agreed as she climbed down from her position on top of Yoshiro and shifted through some bundles until she found three apples, for which she gave to the dragons. For herself she chose a berry from a cache she had hidden in one of the bundles. The dragons rested for a few seconds after their meals, their excruciating run had tired them as well though not as much as Keiko.

She didn't realize how fast she had gone until afterwards when they were resting. Her legs ached greatly, the strain she had placed on them was immense and it hurt at times to stand, her stomach felt like it was punched multiple times. Keiko winced when she touched it.

_Aren't you glad that I offered to let you ride on my back? You probably wouldn't be able to move, much less stand if I hadn't. _Keiko turned to see Yoshiro standing behind him. His emerald eyes glistened smugly.

_You're right I wouldn't be able to move if you hadn't let me ride you so thank you. I hope I haven't tired you out much though. _She asked him.

_I'm fine Keiko, I assure you. _

_If you say so._

_Guys I hate to interrupt your conversation, but we're leaving soon. _Natsuko told them. In response Keiko climbed onto Yoshiro after making sure that the bundles were placed securely onto the dragons. They slowly walked to the exit; people were running beyond it their faces grim as they scurried along the hallways.

Once the hallways were clear of any people they dashed out of the tunnel. Stealthily the four friends crept in the hallway to the far left of the four visible from the tunnel exit as Keiko told them. The hallway was like many others with cells lining its cold stone gray walls. What was different about this hallway was that many of the cells were empty; the few cells that were occupied held a variety of different spirits captured within the Spirit Realm and a few from the Human World. A few were chained to the walls with iron chains, their hands and feet shackled.

Those who were chained hung limp from their restraints. Those who weren't chained sported large gapping wounds, much of which were still bleeding profoundly. Some, to Keiko's horror, were dead because of these wounds. Their limp corpuses lay on the damp sandy ground, some in the process of decomposition, others just beginning to decompose. The stench of death was present in the air, however faint.

It was very fortunate for the four, though they did not realize it at the time that not many choose to wander down that particular hallway. As the hallway lead almost exclusively to the exit and there wasn't many other hallways stemming from that one they could have very easily become trapped if anyone was to find them there.

It didn't take them long to reach the large wooden doors that symbolized the exit to the dungeon and the grassy fields beyond. Keiko clambered down from on top of Yoshiro in order to open the doors, which opened with a slow and thunderous moan. Once the door had opened wide enough for the four to slip outside, they did so. Voices could be heard from within the building growing louder as they neared the friends.

Keiko clambered onto Yoshiro and they ran swiftly away. They didn't dare rest until they were a good distance away from the dungeon. "How long do you think it will be until you can fly again?" Keiko gasped once they had stopped for a rest.

_A few weeks or so and we should be able to take to the skies. Much of our energy was drained while we were in the dungeon and we need this energy to fly. _Natsuko told her sourly as she stared at the endless plains in front of them.

_Judging from the view that I'm getting, I'd say that we're trapped within an immense field. I really do hope that we'll be able to make this food last for the duration of our escape. _Yoshiro said his voice grim.

_Well at least I still have the bracelet. I could contact Chihiro and hopefully she'll come to rescue us. _Haku told them.

_If she can find us, besides we don't even know where we are besides an absurdly huge plain. I'm sure that there are several plains such as this in the Spirit World if I remember correctly. _Natsuko reminded him. Everyone had to agree it would seem an impossible feet for Chihiro to find them and rescue them. Keiko stared at the sky, her thoughts swirling around possible means for escape.

_I wish this was a dream that I could just waken from. _She thought dryly, for the first time since the idea for escape had first befallen her. It seemed as though what she wished to accomplish would just become an unachievable dream that would lead to the downfall of all four of them.


	27. When All is Still

Chapter Twenty-Seven: When All is Still

Chihiro aimlessly flipped the page of the book that she was reading. Two weeks had past since her testing and she was bored. She heard a knock on her door and looked up to see Hikari leaning in the doorway.

"Thought you might want some company," Hikari told her wryly, "anything yet from my brother?"

"Nope," Chihiro replied softly, "wish he would contact me soon though, it's been weeks since I last heard from him either in dream or by the bracelet."

"True, you don't suppose that anything has happened to him do you?"

"The only thing horrible that could have befallen him is death." Chihiro shuddered at the thought; Hikari didn't say or do anything besides frowning.

"I don't think that would have happened to him, have you thought of trying to contact him."

"No, besides I've been kind of busy these last few days."

"From what I've seen, you would have plenty of time to contact him." Hikari told her sternly.

"They told me not to contact him after my testing though," Chihiro told her friend icily. "I'm sure they have a good reason for it so I won't do it."

"Hmm is that so, sorry but I can't stay longer as there's something I need to discuss with a certain friend of ours."

"Going to see Kai again?"

"What do you think?"

"Tell him that I said hi and am really bored…and that you like him…"

"Sure Chihiro, like I'm going to tell him that."

"If you don't I will."

"You're worse than Sora…well I really have to be going bye." Hikari walked out of her room and towards the one two doors away.

"Am I?" Chihiro smirked once her friend had left. "Well don't blame me for being so suspicious when you two keep on visiting each other and have rooms that just happen to be right next to each other."

She gently placed a piece of parchment she used as a bookmark between the pages of the book and took out the small black stone she had hidden underneath the table. She marveled at how its smooth ebony surface reflected the light before wrapping it in the silky gold cloth she used to hide it and placed it underneath the low table.

_Maybe I should contact him, just to see how he's faring. _Chihiro thought to herself as she took off the shimmering emerald bracelet that she wore. Just as she was about to contact him the emerald began to glow with the sapphire light that signaled Haku trying to contact her. She blinked.

_Haku are you there? _She asked cautiously.

_That I am, did you think that I was captured and that someone had stolen the bracelet from me? _He asked teasingly.

_No, I was worried that you were hurt. _

_Well I'm not, what did something happen?_

_Not really though I did mean to tell you that we're now in some phoenix colony._

_You're in a phoenix colony? Do you know why?_

_Yeah, and they said it's for testing and more "extensive" training._

_Is Hikari with you?_

_She came with me yes, if that's what you mean. _

_No, I was wondering if Hikari was with you like in the same room._

_She just left to go and talk to Kai; he's the messenger for the phoenixes if you didn't know. _

_I know who he is I met with him once or twice in the past before. Could you summon her then? I want her to hear what I have to say as well. _

_Sure let me just go and get her. _

Kai and Hikari walked into her room at that time. "Hey Chihiro I brought a certain friend of ours with me so he could explain to us just why you shouldn't contact Haku." She told her friend.

_What timing! She just walked in here along with Kai. _

_Kai's there with her? _

_Yeah, is there something you wanted to tell him?_

_No, I just was just thinking about something…_

"Um Chihiro aren't you going to say anything like 'gee Hikari thanks'." Hikari asked her friend, amused.

"Actually Hikari," Chihiro replied dryly, "if you haven't noticed already, Haku is contacting me right now and he says that he has something to tell the both of us."

"Does he want me to hear what he wants to say?" Kai asked calmly.

"Uh I don't know I'll ask him." _Hey Haku do you mind if Kai listens in onto what you have to tell us?_

_No, I was just about to tell you that. _

"He says that it's okay." Kai nodded. He and Hikari gently placed their hands on Chihiro's right arm where the bracelet was dangling. Their hands unintentionally met thought no one commented about it until afterwards.

_Okay Haku you can tell us we're all here. _

_Yeah Haku what's so important that you wanted all of us present to hear? _Hikari asked her brother.

_Hmm…I don't suppose that Zeniba and the others are present are they? _

_They didn't come, besides only Chihiro and Hikari were asked for. _Kai told him.

_I see… okay then what I wanted to tell you was that the others and I managed to escape from the dungeon where we were kept. _

There was a slight pause before Chihiro replied, _you escaped? _

_Yeah, Keiko managed to think up of a way from us to break out of the cells where we were kept._

_Are all of you okay, _Kai asked quite concerned, _as far I as know there hasn't been any record of escape from a prison like the Evil One's, he keeps records of these things and my race has managed to gain access to them. This Keiko of yours must have been very clever and smart in order to plan an escape. _

_I'll be sure to tell her that and so far there haven't been any injuries or anyone chasing us._

_Wait Keiko planned the escape? _Chihiro asked bewildered. _I would think that you or Natsuko did. How did she do it?_

_I'm not sure as she was pretty secretive about some of the details. _Haku admitted. _Though she somehow managed to figure out what elements were used to charm the lock into staying locked, and then she stole some keys from a guard that was walking by so that we could escape. Her plan was pretty articulate too, she had managed to escape her cell before so that she could map the dungeon and do other necessary things so that by time we escaped there weren't any hindrances. _

_Thank Keiko for me and tell her that she's pretty smart to think of all these things in order for escape. _

_I'll be sure to mention it to her._

_Where are you anyways? _Hikari asked, curious.

_We're stuck in this really large plain, but as to which one we're not sure. Well the others are clamoring for my attention so I'd best leave. _The bracelet pulsed twice before it stopped glowing.

Kai and Hikari lifted their hands off of the bracelet. "Well that was interesting," Hikari said.

"Yeah I'd better leave and tell the council members that Haku contacted you as well as being able to listen in on the conversation. They would want to know that he escaped and would probably want me to tell his father as well." Kai said.

"Who also happens to be _my_ father. You do realize that we're related right?"

"Hikari, if you didn't notice your hand was touching Kai's when you were touching the bracelet." Chihiro commented wryly. "Do you still admit that you don't like him?"

"Yeah I noticed, and we're just friends like I told you before." Neither noticed that Kai was blushing slightly and had just left the room.

"Hey where did Kai go?" Hikari asked once she noticed that Kai had left.

"I guess than he had more important things to tend to than pursue a relationship with you."

"Well I have more important things to do than to chat with you so bye." Chihiro shook her head as Hikari walked loftily away.

Her bracelet began to glow within minutes followed by Haku's voice. _Are they gone yet?_

_Yes and I thought that you said that the others were clamoring for your attention. _Chihiro teased him in reply.

_Actually they're resting; I decided to tell you what happened when they were asleep so that there wouldn't be any distractions or anything while I talked to you about what occurred._

_How wise of you. _

_Yeah I know, and there's a reason why I contacted you once Hikari and Kai had left._

_You wanted to talk to be about their relationship. _

_How did you know? _Haku asked wondrously.

Chihiro chuckled; _you're not the only one who has been noticing that Hikari likes to chat with Kai a lot. Remember I'm with them and so have been noticing their strange behavior. How did you figure out that there might be a relationship between the two? _

_Let's see besides the fact that Hikari just 'happened' to bring Kai when she went to go and talk to him for something reason? I think it's kind of obvious even if the two aren't in a serious relationship with each other yet. _

_It shouldn't be too long though. _

_I shouldn't think so either…so how have the two been acting around each other recently?_

_Quite normal surprisingly, though Kai did choose to leave once I asked if Hikari liked him. _

_Interesting…was he blushing or anything?_

_I don't know, I noticed once Hikari noticed and Kai was already gone by then. _

_You know I'd love to stay and chat but the others are waking. _

_Are you doing this to end our short conversation or are they really waking? _

_They're really waking and Keiko just noticed that I'm holding a glowing bracelet. Bye. _Their conversation was ended as the bracelet pulsed twice. Chihiro grinned at what Haku told her; perhaps the two really did love each other. _Only time will tell how their relationship will end up though, and time's something that I can afford to spare. _


	28. The Search Begins

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Search Begins

Hikari stood in her room frowning when Kai found her, "Hey Hikari we're about to leave soon."

"Huh," she turned to face him, "oh okay I'll be out in a second just wait for me." Kai nodded and left the room. Sighing she followed him. Three days had passed since they had told the council about the message. Three days had passed before the council had given them approval to search for her brother and those who had disappeared along with him. They found Chihiro waiting for them in the hallway.

Chihiro asked, "Are you two ready yet?" Hikari and Kai nodded and the three friends walked towards the main entrance of the palace. There they found Kasumi leaning against the tall arched doorway as she had been when they first met her.

"Leaving so soon?" she asked them.

"Yeah, we have some important matters to attend to." Chihiro told her.

"Meaning you're looking for Kohaku and the others, I'm coming with you in case you weren't aware." Seeing the questioning looks from the three friends she explained. "The council commissioned me to tag along in case something were to happen to you three. I also brought some supplies I thought might be useful in our journey." She pointed to four plump bags lying next to her; a scroll lay on top of the bags.

"You're not just coming along because of me are you?" Kai asked her, exasperated.

"No, ask the council members if they asked me to come along and they'll say that they did." She grabbed the bags and tossed three to Kai, who distributed two of them to his friends. Chihiro hid the black stone and her bracelet inside the bag she was given when no one was looking. Kasumi then tossed the scroll towards Chihiro, who caught it with ease.

"Don't lose it Chihiro; it's a map of the Spirit World. Used to be my grandfather's, but he gave it to me when the Ruby choose me thought that it might be of use in the future." She told Chihiro before transforming into a brilliant golden red phoenix. She grabbed the bag lying onto the ground and hovered in the air, waiting for the others to transform. Chihiro then put the map into her bag.

Once everyone were completely transformed and they had their bags securely clasped, they flew off. _Does anyone know which direction we are headed in? _Chihiro asked once they were a few feet away from the phoenix colony.

_From what I am aware of, we should be headed west. The Plain of a Thousand Crows are located in that direction. It's the largest in the spirit world, and it seems pretty likely that they might be there. _Kasumi replied calmly.

_Why is it called the Plain of a Thousand Crows?_

_Because it's so big that crows, from the Human World, like to come over to it and torment any unfortunate creature that happens to be lost in it, especially when there's been some sort of food shortage. _

_Sounds unpleasant. _

_It's very unpleasant, and if the ones who we are to be looking for are stuck there. Then well…let's just say that there's little chance for survival for both parties. _

_Stop scarring her Kasumi, _Kai chided her, _you know that the plain isn't as big as you would like to picture it. At its largest from boundary to boundary it's 125 miles. At its smallest it's only 52 miles. Plus you know that crows only tend to occupy the western and eastern portals. They don't tend to stray to far from the portals as it is big enough to kill them if they wander too far without any food or water._ The companions were silent after that.

Hikari followed the others quietly. Chihiro noticed that her friend was falling behind and urged her to fly faster, which she did. _Something wrong Hikari?_

_No, I was just thinking. _

_About what? Kai?_

_No, I'm just thinking about Haku and the others. _

_The Plain of a Thousand Crows does seem a bit intimidating doesn't it?_

_It does but that's not the point. You probably don't know this but…there are at least fifty more plains like it that Haku could be trapped in. There are several different plains that he could be stuck in. _

_So you're saying that we might be heading in the wrong direction?_

_As well as the fact that our supplies might not last us for the entire duration of our stay in the Plain of a Thousand Crows. Think about it though, if we don't have enough supplies to supply ourselves in the plain than how can Haku and the others possibly survive? I doubt they even have enough supplies to last themselves, until we're able to find them. _

_You're right, but concerning our supplies aren't phoenixes and dragons fast flyers? _

_They are, but the Plain of a Thousand Crows is big enough to intimidate even the fastest dragon or phoenix. If I'm not mistaken many a King of Dragons has been known to send prisoners and such to the plain as a way of torture or execution. _

_From what I heard of it, I can see why. _

_Also know that we'll have to fly slower than usual so that we don't miss anything. _

_I see… _

_I wouldn't worry too much about it though. _Kasumi told them. _Sorry for interrupting but I want to tell you that if our supplies are getting low, we'll abandon the search to get more supplies. I've arranged for others to replace us so that if this is to happen, they'll leave for the Plain of a Thousand Crows and pick up where we left of as well as vice versa. _

_So you've planned this out fairly well haven't you? _Hikari asked dryly.

_Yes, besides the phoenixes are hoping to find him as soon as possible so they'll be able to send word over to the dragons that they've found him. The Dragon King's been a bit distracted after his son was captured, and the council wishes to resume talks about the Evil One and such. They've also sent out other search parties to the various other plains that they could be in, including the plain where the castle was last seen, the Plain of a Hundred Sorrows. _

_So they're only searching for him to get my father's attention back on the fighting against the Evil One?_

_Yeah, I'm aware of how you might feel about this, using your brother as bait, but they have no other choice. They're not exactly proud of it either. _

The landscape below them was beginning to brown and the trees and rivers lessen in quantity. Chihiro supposed that they almost reached the Plain of a Thousand Crows. She was right. Minutes later, Kasumi announced that they had arrived at their destination. She dived towards the earth. The others closely following her.

She landed onto the ground with a thud, like the others. "Well we're here." She said once she had transformed in her other form. The others by now had done the shape and were gazing around them at the flat plain.

"Maybe we should rest for a second," Hikari suggested. The others agreed eagerly. Chihiro spotted a few crows flying in circles around their heads like buzzards. They screeched to each other once they spotted her and her companions. The sun glinted off of their dark black feathers.

"Just hide your food and they'll leave." Kai advised her. "Remember they're scavengers so they wouldn't dare attack us if they see that we don't have food or we have food and aren't willing to share." Chihiro nodded and followed his advice, as Kai had told her the birds left once everyone was finished with their meal.

Hikari looked around herself once she was finished eating, wondering in which direction they should head in order to look for Haku. The answers she sought were given once Kasumi had finished eating, "I think we should head north as that's the direction that the Plain of a Hundred Sorrows is located. If my assumptions are correct, then the dungeon shouldn't have been teleported to far away."

Kai shivered when Kasumi mentioned that they were headed north, "it would seem like an ideal place. The northern boundary of the Plain of a Thousand Crows is a hot and terribly dry desert. You wouldn't be able to survive a month much less a few days in it. Beyond that, to the northeast, is the Plain of a Hundred Sorrows."

"One of the reasons why north seems like the most likely direction in which the dungeon where Haku and his friends were being kept is located."

"Okay then, so I guess this means that we're heading north." Kasumi and her companions transformed once again. They flew north, the bags that contained their supplies clenched within their talons. They flew close to the ground and slowly so that they would be able to see what life forms occupied the grass below them.

_How many miles are we from the northern edge of the plain? _Chihiro asked curious.

_Around 78 miles, as that's how far the eastern portal is from the northern boundaries and remember we saw crows. _Hikari replied, emotionless.

_That's true, so how long do you think it'll take for us to cover 78 miles at the speed that we're traveling. _

_Gee first I would have to know how fast we're going and I'm not sure at what speeds we're flying at. _

_Good point, how long do you think that it might take?_

_About a week give or take a few days. _Chihiro thought about what Hikari had told her. She hoped desperately that Haku and the others hadn't set off in a northerly direction after escaping from the dungeon where they had escaped from.

Sensing her fear and apprehension; Hikari immediately said, _I wouldn't worry about it too much though. It's possible that they didn't head in a northerly direction and instead in either easterly or southerly one. _

Chihiro replied softly, _I really hope they do Hikari, I really hope that they do. _The phoenixes and dragons had been flying for a few hours before Hikari spotted something moving in the grass below. Curious she dived towards the earth, so that she could verify whether it was Haku, one of the others that had been captured alongside him, one of the few creatures that lived in the plain, or an enemy.

She found out that the creature was an enemy as soon as a dart flew towards her; she nimbly dodged it as did the others behind her. It fell back to the earth a few feet behind Chihiro. When the creature saw that Hikari had escaped their first attack, they sent two more darts soaring towards her. Hikari and her friends dodged this one like the last.

_Let's get this over with. _Kasumi thought to herself once the mysterious creature had sent three more darts flying towards them that fell harmlessly back to the earth like its predecessors. She flew past Hikari and sent a tendril of ruby flames spinning towards the creature. They could hear a scream as the fire killed him and then all was quiet.

_Let's get moving before his companions, if any, find him dead. _The others agreed and they sped quickly away from the scene. A man crouched in the grass below grinned as he spotted the two dragons and two phoenixes approaching his hiding spot. He silently gestured to those gathered around him.

Hikari quickly spotted the man and growled forewarning the others of the danger that she sensed. Her companions stopped and tensed as they spotted the volley of arrows streaming towards them.

_Uh oh…_ Chihiro thought to herself as she quickly summoned fire with which to repel the arrows. Kai and Kasumi helped her by sending fiery blasts at the arrows in a successful attempt to repel them. Hikari summoned an icy shield with which she drew around them. She growled with fury as fiery arrows were sent from the ground below them in all directions, piercing her icy shield.

She and Chihiro used their powers over water to repel these arrows. _I guess that this is the work of the Evil One. _Hikari told Chihiro.

Chihiro agreed adding, _we must be getting close to the place where Haku and the others were being kept. _The battle waged on, ending when Chihiro summoned wind to blow away all of the arrows aimed at them and Kai and Kasumi send fiery blasts spiraling towards the earth. Setting the grass below aflame and killing those hidden within it.

Once the fires had completed the tasks that the two phoenixes wished of it, they allowed Hikari and Chihiro to summon water with which to shower the plain and prevent the fires from spreading. Dark gray smoke rose from the charred ground as the fires were extinguished, it carried the scent of burnt flesh within it.

The four fled from the scene. The sun illuminating their scales and feathers as they flew in a northerly direction. Their eyes scanned the landed below them cautiously looking for both friend and foe. It was not until the sun had set below the horizon and its golden rays departed the land that they dived back to the earth and chose the rest.

They transformed back into their other forms and ate a meager meal before matting down the grass and placing a piece of cloth on it so that they could rest in relative comfort. Hikari pulled out some of the grass from around her and using some extra cloth she found in the bag, she made a pillow. The others followed her example.

Hikari found herself starring up at the starry sky, thoughts about her brother and survival filled her mind. "Is something troubling you Hikari?" Kai asked.

Hikari shook her head, "no I was just thinking about something."

"I see." He fell asleep a few minutes later; Hikari was the last to fall asleep that night. Her mind filled with troubling thoughts. _I really do hope that you and the others will be able to survive. _She thought to herself before falling blissfully asleep.


	29. Stone of the Shadows

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Stone of the Shadows

Chihiro woke fully rested the next morning. She found Kai and Kasumi talking to each other, their voices low so that no one would be able to hear what they were talking about. _Wonder what they're talking about. _She thought to herself as she broke off a small portion of some of the bread that she found her in bag and ate it.

Kasumi said something to Kai and they stopped talking. They turned around and acted as though nothing had happened. Hikari woke a few minutes later and ate her breakfast. Silence settled over the four like a shadowy cloak as everyone changed into their other forms and flew away, bags clenched in their talons.

They flew low and unhurriedly across the grassy plain. The tall beige blades swayed gently as a breeze passed over it. Upon the grass were cast their shadows, and within these swiftly passing shadows were hidden a lone dark dragon. His blazing maroon eyes intent upon the four of them, in particular the one who was called Chihiro. _She is the one that milord seeks. _He thought smugly to himself as his eyes focused on the light blue dragon. _She is the one who is causing all this trouble, and she is the one with whom the powers of nature were granted. Fire, earth, wind, water all bow before her. Yet little does she know of to what extent her own powers tend to reach, and therefore will be unable to master the greatest of the energies that flow within her. The phoenixes can do little to aid her in the control of her powers, and of course her own kind have almost no knowledge of the powers that she wields. Ah she would make a fine target indeed. _

Chihiro, unaware of her mysterious stalker, flew on with her friends searching for her beloved in the tall swaying grasses below. Behind her Hikari began to hover in the air, she had sensed something and like before growled to warn her friends. _Not again!_ Chihiro cried.

_Well remember we are closing in onto the dungeon, _Kasumi reminded her, _we could try to follow this particular creature though. If he was sent here to protect it from us, he might try to go back there in order to warn others that we're coming. Of course we wouldn't want to be seen if that were to happen. _

_You have a point… _Chihiro looked at the grass below where Hikari was hovering and spotted a shadowy figure writhing in the grass. She was just about to summon a fiery ball with which to blast it, but was stopped by Hikari.

_Not yet, let's see what it tries to do first. _Hikari advised her. Chihiro considered it for a moment and decided to follow her friend's suggestion. The dark dragon didn't do anything at first as Hikari and the others gathered in a tight circle around Chihiro so that they would be able to shield her from any attacks that might be sent hurdling towards her.

_Nothing's happening, _Hikari realized after a few minutes, _do you suppose that they mean Chihiro no harm?_

_It's not likely…wait he just might be taking his time…or he's trying to tire us out before he attacks. _Kai muttered wryly.

In the grasses the dark dragon stared up at the circle of phoenixes and one dragon. _Just a few more minutes, until they reach this place, _he thought to himself. He waited until he was sure that his friends had reached the area were he was stationed. Grinning to himself he sent ball of dark flame spiraling into the azure sky.

_Finally! _ Hikari thought to herself eagerly as she summoned a wall of water with which to defend themselves. The dark flames, drenched by the watery barrier, dissipated into a small cloud of smoke rising ever higher into the heavens.

_Well that was easy,_ Chihiro commented as she summoned more water to strengthen the barrier, fearing that more dark dragons may arrive and attack them. Kai and Kasumi parted so that she would spray the clear sparkling bluish liquid over them as she helped maintain the barrier.

Her fears were well reasoned as the barrier was pelted with many more fiery spheres. Portions of it weakening as the water turned into steam whenever it was hit by fire. _Chihiro, maybe you should use that trick with the wind like last time so that we won't have to keep on summoning water to defend ourselves and therefore just weaken ourselves even more. _Hikari observed grumpily.

_You're right I should, _Chihiro replied apologetically, _why don't you let one part of the barrier completely disintegrate so that I will have room to summon the wind without destroying the barrier? _Hikari complied without comment and Chihiro did as she was told. She watched as the wind slammed the fiery spheres into the earth, setting fire onto the grassy plain as it did so. The fires spread quickly and hungrily devoured the grass. It also killed some of the dark dragons lying within the grass, the creatures yelped with agony as the fires smote them.

Although it did not kill all, those who didn't die were left with blackened burns and were crippled or grievously wounded sometimes even both. Realizing that the fires would destroy the entire plain, Hikari and Chihiro summoned a magical barrier of water that surrounded the fires or at least until the fires wasted themselves away.

They flew away continuing their journey to find Haku. Thoughts of the fire and how it had left the once tall grass emerged undaunted into Chihiro's mind. _The grass will be replaced, _Kasumi answered grimly to Chihiro's questions, _it always does in situations like these. You shouldn't worry about such things. _

_I know, but I can't help it. _Chihiro whined precariously.

_I understand Chihiro. _Their conversation ended at that as they flew over the grassy plains. A new thought occurred to Chihiro as she flew. Though rare, there were creatures that lived in the grass. What about them? _Kasumi's right, I really shouldn't worry about things such as this. Surely there are others who would be able to replace the creatures that die and they are rare. I'm sure they fled from the fire as soon as it was set, and besides they are miniscule in number so it is possible that no living creatures were harmed by the fire. _The thought helped calm her.

Hikari flew next to Kai, neither talking to the other. What was there to discuss anyway? Next to Kai flew Kasumi and behind Hikari flew Chihiro, there wouldn't have been any privacy either. Their conversation would have been heard by the others.

Her emerald eyes scanned intently the grassy ground below her. _I'm tired of seeing grass, _she thought bitterly to herself, _then again this is a plain, and there isn't anything else besides grass in plains. Though it would help if I saw some flowers or other variety of plants, which I'm sure grows amongst the grass. _

The Emerald pendent that always hung around her neck began to glow, the same happened to both Kasumi and Kai with their Rubies. They stopped, hovering in midair as they glanced fearfully at the glowing stones. _You know what this means, _Kasumi said apprehensively.

_The Evil One's present somewhere, _Hikari growled bitterly. The sky began to grow darker as storm clouds gathered above them.

_Maybe we should land and seek shelter in case it rains, _Chihiro suggested.

_That sounds like a good idea, for us anyway; you and Hikari remain here while Kai and I will seek shelter among the grass when it rains. We'll remain with you two until it does, _Kasumi agreed. _You could help us, Chihiro, by summoning wind to prevent the water from reaching us. _

_Okay then, _Chihiro silently summoned two bubbles of air with which she partially surrounded Kai and Kasumi. She recognized their need to attack if needed and planned to completely surround the two once it began to rain.

Hikari's pendent grew brighter and hotter as the sky darkened, giving the sense of night. The grass below them swayed with a crazed frenzy as the wind speeds rose and in great waves flattened or dispersed whatever lay in its way. The four struggled to maintain their positions in the sky in a desperate attempt to not be blown away and separated.

Thunder and lightning rippled across in a menacing dance. At times streaks of light leapt onto the grassy plain, leaving behind a trail of bright flashing light that disappeared within seconds of the impact. Miniature fires started wherever the lightning had successfully touched the grass, many were put out as the wind flowed over it. A few remained, unable to spread because of the wind.

Chihiro looked into the sky; her dark brown eyes the perfect depiction of rage. _Show yourself you big coward!_ She roared. _Your little storm does not scare us! _ A bolt of lightning flashed towards her, Chihiro nimbly dodged it as she did to the five others that followed within seconds of the first. The tiny fires below her upon the grass was a reminder of how close she came to being struck.

"So you are not afraid of storms," the voice of the Evil One boomed around them with amusement, "no it was not to scare you, rather designed to end your pitiful lives." Rain fell onto the earth in heavy sheets, Chihiro closing the gap in the phoenix's bubbles seconds before the rain hit it.

_That was cutting it close Chihiro, _Kasumi told her wryly.

_Yeah I know, sorry for not doing it sooner. I was a bit… preoccupied with my surroundings. _Chihiro told her simply.

_I know…you do realize that you and Hikari are going to have to fight the Evil One alone right? The rain prohibits our attacks though we may be able to summon magic using the Ruby outside of our little air bubble. I can't guarantee that it'll work though. _

_Try and I'm not that afraid, remember that Hikari has the Emerald. _

_True and she had been trained in how to use it while she was at the colony… okay then I'll try to not worry too much about you two. _Chihiro nodded.

_Hope you aren't afraid Chihiro, _Hikari told her friend somberly.

_Of course not! What you are? _Chihiro teased her friend.

_No, and stop joking about it! This is serious you know! _Chihiro snorted in reply. Hikari ignored her friend as a lightning bolt struck the area where she had previously occupied. Kai and Kasumi did the same, to their disgust, and flew off in search of a place where they could safely watch the battle and be within attacking distance.

_Take care Hikari, _Kai said before flying off.

_Don't worry about me Kai; you have much more important things to be thinking about. _Hikari told him softly as he left. Using the energy within the Emerald, she aimed a beam of brilliant emerald light into the sky. At the same spot where the lightning bolt had emerged from. As another bolt crackled as it came towards her she used the Emerald to redirect it to where it had emerged from within the cloud.

Chihiro though was using a different tactic, always aiming her attacks in one spot within the cloud. Whenever a lightning bolt came towards her, she summoned the wind around her to redirect it if possible. If it wasn't she dodged it or tried to shield herself using fire, which didn't always work because of the rain.

_I have to end this, _she thought to herself after witnessing Hikari nearly being hit by a lightning bolt the flash of light almost igniting the tip of her tail. Neither Kai nor Kasumi could be faring too well in weather like this either. Remembering what her tutor at the palace of dragons had told her, she quickly fished the black stone out of her sack (Kasumi had put a spell on all of their sacks once she realized that it might rain), and unwrapped it.

Hikari snorted a warning when she saw the black stone. Though she knew little of what effect it would have she was sure that it wouldn't be of any help to them. Using the energy within the stone, Chihiro tried to aim an attack at the storm cloud where the Evil One is hiding. It backfired.

A trail of light hit the wielder of the stone squarely within her chest. She roared with pain and nearly dropped it, but something within her told her to hold on. Kasumi, seeing what had happened from afar, managed to fly next to Hikari along with Kai despite the numerous bolts that blocked their way illuminating the air in a bright glowing blanket.

Images flashed through her mind: of a dying Haku; of dragons mercilessly slaughtered; and of a group comprised of a human, four dragons, and two phoenixes brutally tortured. _No, this can't be happening, _Chihiro thought to herself as she felt her energy being drained. She felt weak against the torrent of images and evil thoughts battering her mind. They combined with her own until she found it difficult to tell the difference between her own thoughts and those that were being forced into her mind.

_Someone help me! _She screamed. Suddenly she felt as though her energy was returning back to her and that she was plummeting towards the earth. She felt dizzy as if she was spinning. Hands reached up to catch her and could hear someone frantically calling her name before falling unconscious.

Kai gently scooped up the small black stone in the silky golden cloth he had found in Chihiro's sack. _Why didn't you tell us that you had it with you? _He thought to himself bitterly. _You could have saved yourself a lot of trouble and avoided this entire incident. At least something good came out of it though… _He glanced at an unconscious girl with brown hair lying on the ground a few feet away from him.

Chihiro's eyes fluttered open, she was aware of a dull throbbing pain in her head and within her entire body as if she had been dropped. _Where am I? _She thought to herself. Then she remembered, the stone…the horrifying images… falling…hands reaching up to catch her. _Hands? _Chihiro opened her eyes.

"Chihiro you're awake!" someone shouted.

It sounded familiar, the voice of a girl thought it wasn't Hikari's… "Keiko!" Chihiro sat up; she winced at the pain she felt in her muscles.

"Don't hurt yourself," Keiko murmured, "you fell from a height of about fifty or so feet in the air, in addition to transforming back into a girl while in midair so don't be surprised if it hurts for a while."

Chihiro winced as she lightly touched her arm, "No wonder it hurts so badly…are the others with you?"

"Yes, including one very special dragon who wants to see you."

Chihiro looked at Keiko who smiled, "he's over in that direction a few yards." She pointed to the left of him, at a boy who was sitting in the grass his emerald eyes intent on her and Keiko. Chihiro stood up and faltered for a second before regaining her balance. She took one step and then another, it wasn't until she had taken fifteen steps that she was able to begin to walk smoothly without hindrance.

Haku smiled when he saw his beloved, "how are you feeling?"

Chihiro thought for a moment before replying, "I'm feeling better." She sat down next to him.

"It's been a while since we last saw each other hasn't it."

"Too long in my opinion…"

"Chihiro I need to speak with you," Kai interrupted suddenly. He stopped when he noticed who was sitting next to her. "Uh sorry about that…"

"That was interesting," Hikari said, walking from behind Kai whom she had been trailing.

"Don't do that," he told her angrily, "you really scared me you know. Anyways we'd better leave; Chihiro and Kohaku have some things they want to discuss…privately."

"Fine I'll leave," Hikari pecked him on the check and walked away. Kai reacted by blushing madly while Chihiro and Haku snickered.

"Tell me that didn't happen," he sighed turning to walk away.

Chihiro stood up and walked over to him, "wait you said that you had something to tell me."

He held out the small black stone that Chihiro had used before the lightning bolt struck her, "I wanted to know if you knew what this is."

"I don't," Chihiro said confused, "why?"

"Because it's a very powerful stone that people use to gain access to your powers and your mind, it was what the Evil One used to weaken you. I want to know who gave it to you, because whoever did probably was working for him." Chihiro stared at the stone and gulped. She had never trusted her tutor, neither did Hikari. Both friends had the feeling that there was something about him that wasn't to be trusted. Chihiro remembered what he had told her before leaving, _"then take this it'll help protect you in the battle against the Evil One." _

"My tutor at the palace of the Dragon King gave it to me," Chihiro muttered uncomfortably her mind awhirl with thoughts. Meanwhile in a palace that was miles away from where they were situated, a amber-eyed tutor laughed in fiendish delight. Delight that his master had successfully gained entry into the thoughts of a young girl and delight that his evil trick had worked.


	30. Signs of War

Chapter Thirty: Signs of War

Hikari sighed as she looked over the plains in the pre-dawn darkness. Now that her brother and the others had been found they would have to return back to the phoenix colony, and the phoenixes had insisted on leaving as soon as possible to avoid any confrontation with the enemy. "Hikari," she turned around to face Kai, "we should leave soon." She nodded and followed him as he walked back towards the camp where the others were situated.

"There you are Hikari." Haku said upon seeing her. "I thought that we would have to leave without you."

Hikari smiled wryly, "Oh really? Well I'm here now, so I suppose that we should leave." They transformed and flew away their supplies clenched within their talons. Kai flew next to her as they flew towards the dragon's palace, where they were to meet with the king. Neither spoke as they flew, it was different with Haku and Chihiro however. They happened to be busily discussing the events that occurred while they were separated. Keiko flew on Yoshiro's back and would sometimes have him fly closer to Hikari so that she could chat with her. Yoshiro didn't mind, he liked being next to his younger sister it made him feel protective of her as well as giving him a chance to speak with her.

The one subject that everyone avoided was Hikari's kiss. As everyone felt that Kai, and perhaps Hikari, would become embarrassed if it was spoken so they avoided it to the best of their abilities. Kai didn't speak to her until they landed at the palace. "Well we're back…" he said, once he and the others had transformed into their other forms.

"Yeah, I wonder if Yoshiro and Haku still remember it."She commented sourly.

Kai turned around to see that the sight of the palace had little affect on the two brothers, who cringed at the sight of the palace but did little else. Natsuko didn't seem especially impressed with it either, following Yoshiro without comment. Keiko was perhaps the only one who was a bit awestruck by the sight of the palace. Luckily Chihiro was there, and she urged her friend to start walking towards it instead of standing there gasping like a fish.

The eight friends walked inside the Central Chamber, Haku and Yoshiro leading them. They found the king sitting upon his throne when they entered the Central Chamber. Kai and Kasumi bowed three times out of respect upon entering. "I am glad and a bit surprised to see both of the spirits that the Ruby of Phoenixes chose before me," the Dragon King said. "What has brought you here today?"

"We have found your son," Kai replied simply.

The Dragon King's gaze hardened and he said icily, "Are you sure the boy you have brought before me really is he?"

"Father…" Haku whispered, in shock.

"In the days that you have left me spirits have come towards me bringing with them a boy that looks like him. They turned out to be hoaxes intended to trick me into letting my guard down, for I found them to be nothing but dark dragons in disguise. The walls of my palace are lined with the marks of bitter fights. Most of which has been meticulously washed away. Prove that the two that you brought with you really are my sons by having them take the test, use Hikari's Emerald as the testing stone." Hikari nodded and untied the Emerald pendent she had constructed and handed it to Kai. Flinching as his hand brushed against hers. No one noticed and so did not comment on it, to Hikari's delight.

Yoshiro and Haku both did as they were told, transforming into dragons as necessary. Once they had successfully completed the task asked of them and transformed back did the Dragon King see that they were really who they claimed to be. Kai handed the Emerald shard back to its rightful owner, who put it on promptly. "Oh my sons you have returned," their father said sighing. "I have worried many a day and night after your disappearance."

Hikari, sensing something wasn't as it appeared to be, replied bitterly, "That is to be supposed dear father, though I wonder what would happen if you were to take the same test."

"What do you mean my dear?"

"It seems a bit suspicious that it was our tutor that just happened to give Chihiro a small black stone that nearly killed her."

"He did? Then I shall have him punished for his horrible deed, though I cannot imagine why he would do such a thing."

"Kai believes that he is working for the Evil One."

The Dragon King gasped, "Then I shall have him banished from our palace at once, in fact I think I shall do it right now."

"Not so fast…" Hikari said coldly. "Not until you shall conceive upon me the answer that I wish to know. Why did you abandon me?"

"Because I didn't want another haughty girl such as Sora wandering the halls of my palace, it would give a bad impression to emissaries."

"I thought you favored the three eldest that includes Sora."

"Well she's only the third eldest. Haku and Yoshiro outrank her according to their birth."

"How could you say that?" Sora screeched. Everyone turned around to see her standing in the entrance to the Central Chamber from where they just entered. "I thought you loved me…but now I find you to be a cold cruel king who cares for his own fiendish gains rather than the good of his people. I see now why you abandoned Hikari…you thought her worthless as you do all females."

"You have changed father," Yoshiro said coldly upon hearing his younger sister, "I too thought you have cared for your three eldest. Now I find that you only care for the two eldest."

"Which proves my point that you're not my father," Hikari said yawning of boredom. She held up her Emerald pendent to prove her point, it was glowing. "I suppose you're my tutor who the Evil One sent to infiltrate the palace and you have placed a spell upon my father causing his form to change into your former one."

The Dragon King roared with fury and transformed into a black serpent with ruby eyes and mane. His eyes glistened furiously, his alabaster fangs seemed to glow with a blood-red light. _You are wise young one. _He said bitterly. _Many would not guess who I really am beneath my clever guise, yet you seem to know almost instantaneously who I am to be and who the minions of the Evil One are. My master warned me of you, but I foolishly thought that you would not go against the form of your own father, I was wrong. _He sent a ball of hungry flames flying towards her; she destroyed it with a wall of swiftly flowing water she enacted around herself. He sent two more flying towards her, in a vain attempt to injure her.

Hikari let the waters abate once she was sure that he would not attack her anymore. "I have grown wiser in the days that have come to pass. Do not think me a fool for the actions of my past, for it is done and I have changed."

_Such pretty words for one so young, do not let yourself think that they will protect you for they will not. _He sent another ball of fire hurtling at her, which she destroyed with a watery shield.

"I know that, now leave my father's palace before I call the guards on you."

_Why do you suppose that I shall be afraid of the guards? You call yourself wise yet you still resort to idiotic actions._

"I didn't mean _those _guards…I was referring to my friends."

_Your friends do not look like guards to me so why do you call them that O great dragon._

"I see 'guard' as a term short for 'guardian' which my friends are in a truest sense." Hikari said coolly. "They protect the Spirit World and the Human World from the influence of the Evil One, a threat that has come to our lands. Now begone before they attack you…and I assure you that you wouldn't want that to happen." The dark dragon growled, but left as she asked of him. _Next time I won't be so lenient. _

"I'm sure you won't," she muttered as the dark dragon left.

Kai watched as the thin black line sailed across the clear blue sky away from them, "I don't understand…why did he leave? I'm sure that dark dragons aren't this easy to scare."

"Because I was implying that Chihiro has the Opal which she doesn't," Hikari sighed, "he wouldn't want to attack us if she did because of the fact that the opal will protect its rightful owner, and the force of its attacks is infamous for killing even the most powerful opponent. Look at what it did to Evil One, before he managed to break free. I'm informed that someone must have assisted him in this as either the Emerald of Dragons, the Ruby of Phoenixes, or the Great Opal is required for the task as only either one of the three has enough power to release the spell."

"Well that would scare him I suppose."

"Anyways we'd better release the Dragon King from his curse."

"I was about to tell you that," Sora gasped, "how did you figure out that father was changed into your tutor?"

"Oh something the dark dragon told me," she followed her sister as she led him to the room where Chihiro and Hikari's lessons took place. They found their father, who looked liked their tutor as supposed, sleeping on the floor.

Hikari walked over to him, and using the energy from her Emerald shard, broke the spell placed on him. She watched as a pale emerald light streamed across him in shinning waves, it took mere seconds before he was fully transformed into his true form. He woke groaning, "Please don't hurt me, what have I done to you that was so wrong?"

"Father," Hikari whispered into his ear, "everything's okay, the dark dragon already left the palace."

Both of his eyes opened and he looked into her emerald eyes, "Hikari you have returned." He looked around him and he found Haku, Yoshiro, Kai, and Kasumi who were looking at him.

"My sons you have returned," he said joyfully. "Oh Kai, you have proved yourself worthy of my trust once more, and you've brought your friend. Kasumi I suppose."

Kasumi bowed three times out of respect, disgusted at the idea that she had bowed to a dark dragon, "You are correct milord."

"I thank you for finding my sons and returning them to me."

Sora walked up to her father at this time and told him, "The changes that were made to you were reversed. You are as you were before."

"Am I?" The Dragon King asked. "Oh that's wonderful news, and to whom should I thank for this reversal?"

"Hikari, she was the one responsible for the change."

"I see, well I suppose that you are all tired. I'll arrange rooms for you momentarily, first there are some important things I must discuss with others of the council." He stood up and walked out of the room. As promised rooms were arranged for them, for Chihiro and those who had been in the palace before it turned out to be the ones they used before.

Zeniba and Rin were overjoyed when they saw that Chihiro and Haku were once more reunited. "I never thought that I'd say this," Rin said smiling, "but I'm glad to see that you're back Haku. Chihiro really missed you."

"I'm aware of that," Haku told them calmly. "I missed her too."

"Well as Rin told you it's nice to see that you're back and reunited with Chihiro." Zeniba said cheerfully. "Hikari also missed you while you were gone. Though I suppose that Sakura will be back soon, she said that she was off searching for you and there isn't reason for her to remain away."

"Actually there is," Hikari told them, "I do believe that she's planning to look for my opal so that she will be able to find the Great Opal."

"You mean that we'll have to compete with her as well for it?" Chihiro asked astonished.

"No rather, you will find her waiting for you in that place where she had disappeared off to."

"Zeniba's cabin," Chihiro sighed. "Don't ask how I know, but Haku helped me figure it out."

"Then I suppose that we'll have to return soon." Zeniba sighed. "Oh well I missed Swamp Bottom and No-face while I was here, I do look forward to going back."

Keiko looked confused, "Who would want to live in a swamp and who's No-face."

"Well I do dear and as for No-face…you'll find out when you see him." Keiko walked into her room which was a few feet away.

"I suppose we should do the same," Chihiro said after Keiko had walked into her room.

"Yeah we should," Rin agreed. The group dispersed and everyone scrambled into the particular rooms they were assigned. Hikari was the only one who didn't seek out her room immediately, instead standing in the hallway thinking. She sighed and walked into her room which, like Keiko's, was also only a few feet away.

She closed the door behind her and looked out the window and at the garden below. She heard the door open and turned around to see Kai leaning against the doorway. "You seem a bit quiet today," he said, "want to talk about it?"

"No," Hikari replied curtly.

"If you're sure…" he turned to leave but stopped. He closed the door and walked towards Hikari.

"What do you want?"

"I thought that you might want to chat."

"What if I don't feel like chatting?"

"Then I'll leave."

"Sounds good to me."

"What's wrong Hikari? I know you well enough to know that you usually don't act like this." Kai asked her worried.

"I'm just tired," Hikari said, "don't worry about me I'll be fine."

"If you're sure…" he walked away, closing the door behind him as he left her room. She sighed and watched as a bird chirped merrily as it flew in the sky. It reminded her of Kai. She looked away, blinking away tears that had gathered within her eyes. _I'm going to miss him, _she thought sorrowfully to herself, _I'll probably never see him again the way that events are turning out. Sure the Council of Phoenixes might want to send someone on our expedition, but how can I be sure that it's him? _She slumped against the window, silently crying. No one in the entire building was aware of it, so silent was she, not even Kai, who was sure that it wasn't weariness that was the cause of her actions towards him.


	31. A Hidden Secret

Chapter Thirty-One: A Hidden Secret

Hikari sighed as she watched Kai and Kasumi leave, flying towards the horizon until they were no more than mere specks in the endless sky of light blue against pale white clouds. She glanced away from the window and was surprised to see her older brother watching her from the doorway. His emerald eyes hinted of worry and compassion mixed into an unfathomable expression. "Go away Haku," she said dryly, "I don't want to talk about it."

"You really did love him didn't you?" He asked his voice soft and gentle.

"Stop feeling sorry for me. Besides I'll learn to deal with it."

"If you're sure…"

"I'm sure just leave me alone!" Haku sighed and walked away, it was obvious in his mind that Kai's departure had affected her more than she meant it to. _I just wish there was someway that I could help her overcome her sorrow, even get her interested in another boy. _He grinned to himself wryly at the thought of Hikari interested in another; it probably wasn't going to happen. Kai was one of the rare ones who managed to look past Hikari's uncaring outer shell and at the sad and lonely girl that she was. The coldness was no more than a shield she used against the pain she felt living in the world, a mere mask conceived of the pain and suffering she was forced to overcome in her life.

Haku found Chihiro waiting for him in his room. "Is she feeling better?" She asked softly. Chihiro had felt nothing but concern for her friend after Hikari abruptly walked away from the group of her friends as Kai prepared to depart the castle with Kasumi. She gave no explanation to her actions, and before she left she looked as though she was somehow angered by Kai leaving.

"I tried to talk to her but she just pushed me away," Haku told her.

"I wish there was something I could do to help her."

"I do too."

"Perhaps I should go talk to her, maybe try to cheer her up a bit by telling her some jokes or something."

"Perhaps you should, but as a warning she shouted at me to leave before I finally did. She might try something more violent than shouting if you don't leave as she wants you to."

"As long as in the end she's feeling better, I don't mind." Chihiro walked out of Haku's room, hoping to mend the sorrows that seemed to have attached themselves to her friend after Kai left. She found Hikari crying when she entered her friend's room. Despite Haku's warning, Hikari did nothing to force her to leave when she tried to calm her.

"It just that I don't want him to go," Hikari told Chihiro softly when she asked what was wrong. "We've spent so much time together that…I've gotten used to his presence. It's almost as if someone close to me died."

"I know how you feel," Chihiro told her friend, trying her best to comfort her, "I felt the same way when Haku…left."

"How did you cope with the pain?"

"I just learned to deal with it I guess even though I kind of missed him."

"Well at least you had the bracelet; you could contact him whenever you missed him too much."

"I know, but I didn't. That's why we didn't find him until now."

"You have a point…why didn't you contact him then?"

"I guess I kind of forgot about it," Chihiro admitted, "I was just so caught up in daily events that I didn't have time to think about things like it."

"So I guess you kept busy to help you get over the pain of being separated from my brother," Hikari said softly, "so that you wouldn't have to think about him or the torture that he was facing."

"Yeah, I guess I kind of did just that. I mean I wasn't exactly busy on purpose, but there were so many things happening that there just wasn't time for me to think about him."

Hikari nodded in response. "Are you feeling better now?" Chihiro asked her friend, and left the room when Hikari nodded and looked away. It was obvious that there were things that she wanted to think about on her own. _I'll have to thank Chihiro later for giving me such valuable advice, but now is not the time to do that. _She stood up and walked over to the window. _I wonder what Kai is thinking about right now, it can't be me. As Chihiro suggested there are too many things occurring for him to worry about me. _She looked towards the distant horizon, where Kai had disappeared along with Kasumi only a few minutes earlier. _Still, I wouldn't mind if he was thinking about me right now…in fact I kind of hope that he is. _She sighed and reprimanded herself for thinking of such things; Chihiro was right when she mentioned that now was not the time to consider such thoughts.

She walked out of her room and towards the Royal Chamber, for she wished to relax and reexamine the current situation in greater detail. Hikari stood in front of the guards and said the familiar phrase before allowed entrance into the chamber. To her pleasure she found it empty void of any spirits who might wish seek its tranquility.

Hikari chose a spot to sit in front of the cabinet in which she and Kai had found the Emerald of Dragons. Memories of the events immediately following spiraled about in her mind; she closed her eyes and pictured Kai as a fragment of Emerald broke. His eyes hinting of the hunger and lust he felt and of the way he gazed longingly at her. _Do you really love me or was I just imagining things? Is it that my eyes have deceived me into believing an unreal illusion and that you are really in love with Kasumi? Do you really care for me or am I only kidding myself into believing that you do? I wish I knew if the one you loved was me or Kasumi, and if that was the reason why you left me. _A single tear fell from her right eye and onto the ground below to splatter on the wooden floor. It was followed by others until they streamed down her face in a never-ending cascade.

She didn't wipe them away, she didn't want to. Silently she cried until she heard footsteps approaching the room, Hikari quickly stood up and wiped away the remaining tears. By then she had stopped crying. The door opened to reveal her brother Yoshiro who walked towards her. "You've been crying," he told her softly. "Rather recently if what the others told me is true."

"What do you want?" Hikari asked coldly, unwilling to reveal the reason of her tears to her brother.

"I just wanted to see if you were feeling better, but from what I see and have heard you were crying again. Care to tell me what's been bothering you?"

"What if I don't want to?"

"Then you're turning down a chance to receive some pretty helpful advice from your older brother, besides we're going to leave soon."

"I think that I'm going to turn down your offer."

Yoshiro shrugged, "if you really don't want to accept my offer that's your problem, but we really have to go. Chihiro and Haku have been searching for you because they're worried that you're going to get left behind."

Hikari followed Yoshiro as they left the room and walked towards the Central Chamber, "where are we going anyway?"

"Well we're going to search for opal, but as we don't know where it's located I'm not exactly sure of where we will be head. First we have to head over to the phoenix colony; their council wants to talk to us about the war against the Evil One and something about the Opal."

"I see… so I guess that Haku and Chihiro don't want to leave me behind because supposedly I have some kind of connection to the Opal through the opal that I found with Keiko."

"Exactly and supposedly they need both you and Keiko in order to find your opal." They found Haku and the others waiting for them in the Central Chamber.

"Hikari where were you?" Haku asked, exasperated. "Chihiro and I have been looking all over for you!"

"I was in the Royal Chamber," Hikari replied mildly, "Yoshiro found me there." Haku chided himself for not thinking of the Royal Chamber when he heard Hikari's reply, _you fool you realize that she tends to spend a lot of time there! Why didn't you think of it! At least Yoshiro thought of it and found her._

"Well I'm glad that he found you, anyways we have to leave and supposedly we need both you and Keiko to find your opal."

"Yoshiro told me the same thing." She muttered to herself before transforming into a dragon. Keiko decided to ride on her this time. Yoshiro looked at her as Zeniba clambered onto him, annoyed that she had chosen his sister over him, but ignored the feeling of jealously. _I'll just fly close to the two, in case something happens to them._ He told himself as he flew next to the two friends as they soared into the azure sky.

_Well at least I might get the chance to see you soon, _Hikari thought to herselfwistfully. _Maybe then I'll the answers to the questions that I seek. _

Chihiro looked back frequently at both Keiko and Hikari worried that they had fallen behind or attacked. _Stop it, _she told herself firmly. _They'll be fine, and besides Yoshiro's watching over them. _

Natsuko, who was flying to the right of Hikari, would often glance over at Yoshiro. Her sapphire eyes glistened with worry. _Natsuko, are you feeling okay? _Yoshiro asked her, for he had noticed her frequent stares.

_I'm just thinking about something. _She snapped at him. _You don't have to worry about me._

_You sound like Hikari whenever she's angered by something, or when she's unnerved by something._

_I do?_

_Yes you do, I've been with her long enough to note her habits and behavioral antics. Now what's wrong? _

_If I'm not willing to tell you what's wrong?_

Yoshiro didn't reply, and instead stared straight ahead at his brother and Chihiro. _Realize that I'm not trying to force you to tell me what's unnerving you. I just thought that you wouldn't mind sharing your troubles with those who care about you. _

_Then I'll tell Rin, or maybe Chihiro. She's good at listening. _Natsuko told him smugly.

_Okay then, I'll listen to what you have to tell them. _Natsuko glanced at him, and he turned his head to look at her. They glanced at each other for a half a minute before glancing away.

Hikari sighed she was annoyed by their stare, something about it made her feel uncomfortable. _Is there something you want to tell us?_

_No. _Yoshiro replied simply. They landed minutes later at the phoenix colony, the glistening walls of the city caused Keiko to once again stare in wonderment awestruck by the city's glory.

_Stop gaping like a tourist. _Chihiro told her friend somberly. _I admit that it's pretty spectacular when you first arrive, but after a while you get used to it. Moreover we have to meet with the Council. _

Keiko sighed, "You're right Chihiro, well let's get this over with so that we can get over to wherever we need to go and search for the opal."

_We're going to Swamp's Bottom after this. _Haku informed her gravely. _From what Chihiro and I have concluded Sakura is there and we need to meet up with her as she may have some important information that may aid us in our search for the Opal._

"Sakura," Keiko asked confused, "who's Sakura?"

_She's the dragon that we met in my river in the dream, _Hikari supplied. _The one that we read about when we went to the first Dragon of Nature's home, you know his daughter who lost the Great Opal._

"Oh _that_ Sakura, I thought she was dead or something."

_Technically she is, but she managed to become undead somehow. I think it has something to do with Chihiro; she is her ancestor after all._

"I see." She climbed off of Hikari, and watched as her friend transformed. Zeniba and Rin did the same with their mounts and watched as they transformed with the others. Together the eight friends walked towards the castle. Kasumi leaned against the entranceway as she had when they first saw her.

"So you're back." She told them grimly when she saw them. "For an extended stay I hope."

"Actually after this we plan to leave." Chihiro admitted.

"Suit yourself…oh and Hikari, Kai wants to talk to you after your meeting with the council. You'll find him in his room."

Hikari didn't answer as Kasumi walked away, leading the friends to the Council Hall. "His room is the one that he was in when I was here right?" she asked once they neared the chamber.

"Yep, it hasn't changed since when he first arrived here. Luckily for him the two rooms next to his were empty at the time so it wasn't too difficult for him to request that they be reserved for you and Chihiro."

They entered the Council Hall at that time. As before they found the council members seated in a balcony high above their heads. Kasumi parted with them at the entrance, heading in another direction. To Hikari's surprise she found Kai already in the hall and she stood next to him. They bowed when they saw the council members.

As before the woman who had spoken with them the first time they came addressed them and they replied as was expected of them. "I am pleased that you have all gathered here. Though it is unfortunate that Kasumi cannot make it to our gathering, but I suppose that you, Kai, will tell her once I have finished speaking." Kai nodded and she continued. "We are gathered here today to talk about the current situation in the war against the Evil One as well as the Great Opal. As you are well aware we are currently fighting against the Evil One and his minions many of which are based in what used to be known as the bathhouse called Aburaya. After His invasion there two months ago, he has begun to make it his headquarters as far as military arrangements go. His troops are stationed there before being sent off to war.

"There is a part of this that I am sure you are unaware of. The dungeon, in which you were kept, Kohaku was underneath a castle that is the current home of the Evil One. He tends to reside there whenever military affairs are running smoothly. As this is not the case he has been staying in Aburaya for extended visits albeit we are starting to believe that there is another reason he is staying there."

She paused for a second as if recollecting her thoughts before continuing. "I'm sure that many of you if not all are aware of a dragon by the name of Sakura that left the palace a few weeks ago. She was sighted by one of our own while they were flying towards Aburaya in order to gather information about the troops there. He came immediately to us afterwards as he felt that the information would of the importance to our cause. He was correct."

"Sakura as most of you know is Chihiro's ancestor and as a spirit she is in a way immortal and so for her there is no such thing as death. Rather what you know as death is a but a passing from your world into ours, and death for her meant that she was unable to travel between the barriers of the two worlds in a solidified form such as a serpent or a young woman. As such she was able to help Chihiro in this world, but would not be able to help her in the Human World. If she did she would be unable to defend her or assist her in any way and would therefore be reduced to the stature of a mere figure head. I'm telling you this because Sakura plays an important part in your search for the Great Opal.

"As some of you are aware of, Sakura inherited the Opal from her father who was the first Dragon of Nature. What you are not aware of is that the opal pendent that she inherited is not comprised of the Great Opal; rather it is only a clue to its whereabouts. Sakura hid the Great Opal when she got it from her father who ordered her to do so. She then destroyed any memories she had of its hiding place and used the opal pendent she received from her father to store portions of the memories she had of it.

"Because of this Sakura is the only one who knows the true location of the Great Opal. It is also believed that she hid her opal pendent in an icy stream and froze its waters on purpose so to guard it. As you may or may not realize the opal that Hikari and Keiko found is the only way to find this opal. The Great Opal and the other two are connected in a way that so far we have vague and indescribable, but it seems that it's this murky and unfathomable connection is the only way to reveal the Great Opal's location and Sakura is key to reviving the connection." She stopped and it was obvious that she had finished speaking.

"So you're saying that we should visit Sakura before searching for Hikari's opal?" Chihiro asked.

"Precisely, otherwise you would be unable to find the opal pendent that she possessed." The council woman told her icily.

"Then why did the scroll say that the opal pendent would allow the descendent to inherit the powers of the first Dragon of Nature and become a spirit if they so desired if it's untrue?" Hikari asked befuddled.

"Because the opal pendent would lead it to the Great Opal, technically the Great Opal was the power of the Dragon of Nature. It should also be known to you by now that the Great Opal is a powerful stone and would grant the wielder to become a full spirit if they weren't already one and so desired."

"I'm curious, but what does becoming a full spirit do to me?" Chihiro asked softly.

"It means that you would be able to gain the full potential of the elements under your control and you would also gain the powers and abilities of a spirit who was born in the Spirit World by parents who were both spirits. It also means that you would be unable to return to the Human World and assume your lifestyle there."

"You mean I would be unable to return?"

"Yes," the council member replied quite amused, "although if you wished you could still visit the Human World but only for short durations of time, such as a week or so. Why do you suppose that young Kohaku has never visited you until the barrier was weakened?" This silenced Chihiro and left her to ponder whether she really wanted to become a spirit or not. It would mean having to explain to her parents why she wouldn't be able to return and why she could only stay for mere weeks or days. She would also be unable to assume a normal life in the Human World as the council member had so kindly said.

"I'll let you think over whether you wish to become a full spirit or not Chihiro; you have plenty of time before you must decide. Though the benefits are found to be satisfactory to some others would only see it as a curse because of what needs to be sacrificed in order to become a full spirit. You are now dismissed." The group left the Council Hall; Kai followed them and directed them to their assigned rooms.

As expected Keiko was quite impressed by her lodgings and it took a while for her to get used to her surroundings. While Keiko explored her rooms and admired the furnishings, Kai led Hikari into his room and closed the door behind them.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Hikari asked once she entered his room.

"I was wondering if you were feeling better," Kai admitted, "you seemed pretty troubled when I left earlier today."

"I find and since when did you start wondering whether I was okay or not?"

"Well you did seem pretty angry when I left and I was hoping that you weren't too troubled."

Hikari didn't reply her emerald eyes were glistening furiously. Kai sat down in a nearby chair and directed her to another one next to it. "I suppose you were wondering about my relationship with Kasumi?" He asked softly.

"So then you admit having a relationship with her," Hikari asked.

"I do, but that was before I met you. I talked to her about it, and she decided that it was okay if I choose to spend the rest of my life with you instead of her."

"Then I suppose that you two kind of broke up?"

"Kind of, there wasn't really wasn't much of a relationship there in the first place. We were friends and nothing more. Neither of us really wanted to do anything really serious anyhow, we made _that _clear the first day we met each other. She's too… outgoing for my tastes and I'm too… serious for hers. If not for the Ruby we would have never met each other."

Hikari chuckled, "what made her think such a thing? Was it that you kept on mentioning facts and statistics about various topics?"

"Yeah something like that," Kai grinned, "and plus I kept on being really polite to her and her family, even after she made it clear that I didn't have to address her as anything other than just 'Kasumi'. It really annoyed her."

"It probably did, speaking of which how come you never addressed me in anything other than 'Hikari'?"

"I don't know I guess I was kind of tired of addressing everyone by formal honorifics and such."

"I'm curious but what is it about Kasumi that makes her too outgoing?"

"I'm not sure, she has a lot of friends and sometimes she's surrounded by boys and I'm not that fond of social gatherings and whatnot." Hikari nodded and gazed thoughtfully at Kai. There was something about him that she found oddly attractive. Something about him that lured her into a feeling of safety and serenity, and she peered deeper into his eyes hoping to find what it was about him that was so attractive in her mind.

Kai did the same. He too was curious about the strange and mysterious feeling that he encountered whenever he saw Hikari, something that made him feel oddly protective over her. As they stared at each other a connection slowly began to form and at the same moment they realized that they feeling they had about one another was mutual. At that moment they realized that they were falling madly in love with one another.


	32. Return to Swamp's Bottom

Chapter Thirty-Two: Return to Swamp's Bottom

Hikari lay on her bed, thinking. Her emerald eyes staring at the alabaster ceiling above her, her mind filled with what ifs. She sighed and raised herself into a sitting position. Her friend Chihiro was standing in the doorway, watching her friend with great apprehension. "Hey Chihiro," Hikari greeted her friendly sullenly.

Chihiro tried to smile as she greeted Hikari, but she found it hard. Everyone was unnerved by waiting for the council to approve of three people who would accompany them to their quest to find the Great Opal. "Hi Hikari," Chihiro said in reply, "I don't suppose they've chosen the three who are to accompany us have they?"

Hikari shook her head. "Not yet, though according to Kai they said that they're only trying to figure out who will be the third person to come with us." She muttered. "Supposedly they've allowed Kasumi and Kai to come with us, but only after two days of debating. According to Kasumi there were five people who were chosen by the Ruby, so of the three remaining they have to choose one."

"Hope they choose the third member soon, because I'm growing really impatient."

"We all are Chihiro, but try to wait a bit longer. It shouldn't take them _too_ long, and besides two out of the three required people have already been chosen."

"You're right. It's shouldn't take them horrendously long just to chose a Ruby wielding spirit who will accompany us on our trip. I guess I really want to go back to Swamp's Bottom and…"

She was interrupted by Kai who walked into the room that moment, "Sorry if I was interrupting anything, but the Council finally choose the third member of the party that's to accompany you."

"Finally," Chihiro shouted ecstatically, "it took them long enough!"

"So when are we to leave?" Hikari asked, ignoring Chihiro's shout of joy.

"We are to leave this afternoon, after the Council of Phoenixes officially announces those who are to accompany Chihiro and her companions."

"So who did the council choose to come along with you and Kasumi?"

"Someone by the name of Takeo is supposed to come with us."

"Have you ever met him before?"

"Once or twice, he's pretty nice from what I've seen."

Chihiro looked at her companions and said rather deftly, "well I should be going; Haku said that he wanted to talk to me about something before we left for Zeniba's cabin." She left.

"I can't help but think she did that on purpose," Hikari muttered thoughtfully. Kai nodded in agreement and sat down on the bed next to her.

"Me too," Kai agreed dryly, "she _is_ aware of our relationship after all."

"Do you think we should spy on Chihiro to see if she really is meeting with Haku or if it was just an excuse to leave?"

"It's not a bad idea, but if she does turn out to be talking with Haku then let's leave because they probably have something rather important to discuss if only _they_ are chatting about something." Hikari agreed quietly and they slipped out of Hikari's room. They found Chihiro and Haku chatting softly in the hallway, their voices were grim and foreboding.

Kai walked back inside, followed by Hikari who managed to listen to a few statements of the conversation between Chihiro and Haku.

"So Sakura might not be at Swamp's Bottom but possibly somewhere else?" Chihiro had said to Haku, her voice soft yet harsh.

"If Sakura really was searching for me and the others it is possible that she is in an obscure area searching for us," Haku had informed softly and coldly his emerald eyes observing his beloved intently and grimly, "even if someone had met up with her and told her that we had been found, how do we know that wherever she had been searching wasn't too far from Swamp's Bottom?"

"You have a point…what should we do then if she's not at Swamp's Bottom?"

"It's very possible that we will have to search for her, which I'm not fond of doing."

"Me neither it's too easy for us to get separated if we split up to search for her. Not to mention that the Evil One and his forces could easily recapture you, me, or anyone else traveling with us."

"Exactly, meaning that we might have to wait for her if we don't find her waiting for us at Swamp's Bottom and the Evil One would get a chance to find Hikari's opal before we do." Chihiro had been silent, and before Hikari could hear her reply the door to her room had closed.

"You were listening in onto their conversation weren't you?" Kai accused her after they returned to Hikari's room, more accurately the office-like room that was located a few feet away from the entrance to the set of rooms that she resided in. He sat down in front of her, his dark red eyes bore into hers enraged.

"I couldn't help it," Hikari admitted defensively her emerald eyes focused onto Kai's dark maroon ones. "I would have heard more if I the door hadn't closed."

"So what were they talking about then?"

"Why do you want to know if you chided me for listening in onto their conversation?"

"I'm just as curious as you are as to what they're conversing about besides it might prove to be of importance to our mission."

"Well," Hikari began her voice a mixture of nervousness and indecisiveness, "…I guess I _could_ tell you what their conversation was mainly about… basically they were talking about Sakura. They're worried that she won't be at Swamp's Bottom when we get there and that we'll have to wait for her."

"They really shouldn't be discussing that…after all she was sighted there only a few days ago. Surely she wouldn't have left _that_ quickly," Kai told her somberly.

"Well… they do have a point. I mean what if she had been staying there for a couple of weeks and wished to resume searching for Haku and those who were captured alongside him?"

"Surely she's been told already that they've already been found. I find it hard to consider that she hasn't."

"You're right…I mean practically everyone in the entire realm knows about it!" Despite her statement, Hikari still was unable to relinquish the thought of Sakura having left once they arrived at Swamp's Bottom. _She probably hasn't met a lot of people in her travels, and it's possible that no one told her that Haku had been found. Swamp's Bottom is pretty much cut off from the rest of the realm so they don't get a lot of news of recent events there, and so No-face and Zeniba had been relying heavily on those few who stopped at her cabin to relay news about current events. It's all too possible that Sakura has been doing the same. I shouldn't be so pessimistic, I mean Sakura probably already heard from someone that they've been found, and besides it probably doesn't take her _that_ long to return to Swamp's Bottom after searching for Haku and those captured alongside him. _After quickly berating herself for being pessimistic about whether Sakura was at Swamp's Bottom or not, she found Kai staring at her anxiously.

"You still have trouble believing that she will be there when we arrive don't you?" He asked her softly and kindly. She nodded in reply, unable to bring herself to speak. There was a knock on the door before Chihiro was seen entering the room.

"I thought you two would still be here," Chihiro told her two friends halfheartedly, "after all I didn't remember seeing either of you leave the room when I left to chat with Haku. Anyways we're going to the Council Hall, because they want to announce to us who is to come with us." Kai and Hikari stood up and followed Chihiro into the large domed chamber. The Council overlooking them in a high balcony draped with lavish red velvet.

They found Kasumi and a tall male with sleek black hair cropped to frame his expressionless face with cold dark crimson eyes. A Ruby fragment rested gently on his chest, suspended by a thin leather cord. He wore a striped red T-shirt and jeans, much to Chihiro's surprise. He didn't move or speak as Kai stood between him and Kasumi, nor did he when Hikari stood hesitantly to his left, her emerald eyes cold and untrusting.

"I take it that you already know Kai and Kasumi," a male council member with wispy gray hair muttered after they took their positions next to one another, "but I suppose you do not know this fine young man called Takeo, who stands between the one known as Hikari and Kai." No one replied to his statement as no reply had been expected of them as he paused. He continued again in a warm and kindly voice, "you are to journey to Swamp's Bottom in search of Sakura as you are already aware of. Now that you know who has been assigned to travel with you, my colleagues and I shall delay you no further. You may leave."

The five present departed the chamber silently. "I'm surprised that Haku wasn't present." Hikari commented as they neared the entrance to the palace from whence they were to leave. "I expected my brother to accompany us in the Council Hall, for he is an important figure in our little band."

"He said that he wanted to talk to the others," Chihiro replied her voice soft and mellow, "that's why he was unable to accompany us when those who were to travel with us were revealed." They walked under the tall arched doorway and towards the small group that lay beyond. Hikari sighted Haku, Yoshiro, and Natsuko chatting softly amongst themselves. Their expressions were grim and foreboding as Chihiro's had been when he talked to her. _He must be sharing his concerns with the others._ She thought icily to herself. _I should try to dispel his commentary before it affects all of us. Maybe I should enlist Kai to help me with the task; _he_ believes that Sakura will be at Zeniba's cabin when we arrive._

She quickly told Kai her impression about the situation and what should be done about it as they and the others reunited. "Hmm maybe I should go talk to your brother," he muttered thoughtfully, "and try to get him to understand that Sakura _should_ and _will_ be there when we arrive."

"I guess I'll try to convince those that Haku told that Sakura will be there when we arrive then," Hikari muttered, but Kai didn't hear her as he was walking towards Haku. They chatted for a while about something before walking over to her.

"Hikari," Haku said to his sister sternly, "were you eavesdropping on Chihiro and me?"

"I was," Hikari murmured meekly, "I'm sorry if I angered you, and I promise I'll never do it again."

"For once I'm glad that you eavesdropped on me, as I made the mistake of sharing fears that proved to be illogical with others. Still you shouldn't eavesdrop on people as it isn't polite and they might be discussing topics that they don't want to be overheard."

"I know Haku. Again I'm sorry for my actions."

Haku smiled at his youngest sister ruefully, "I realize that Hikari, and we should be leaving. Otherwise Sakura might actually leave because we didn't arrive sooner." Hikari chuckled and shifted into her natural form of a silvery dragon with a shining golden mane. Emerald eyes glinting exuberantly as she leapt into the air and soared into the cloudy gray sky after being mounted by Keiko. Zeniba mounted Natsuko, and Rin climbed atop Yoshiro.

Besides her flew Haku, and besides him flew Chihiro. They were silent, neither willing to talk to the others. Towards their right flew Natsuko and Yoshiro, and behind them flew Kai and the other two phoenixes. They appeared to be conversing intently with one another and she caught a few cold glances in their direction. _They're probably talking about Chihiro, _Hikari thought grimly to herself, _or they're talking about how stupid my brother was when he told the others that Sakura wouldn't be there when we arrive. _

It wasn't long before the dragons were drenched in a light drizzle of streak-like rain. Chihiro had to stop and shield the phoenixes in an airy container before they could continue their journey. The landscape below them had changed from a shimmering silvery-blue lake from which the phoenix colony hovered above into a flat, and seemingly endless, plain populated by a few sparse trees. In the distance were lush green hills and Chihiro knew by memory that upon the hills was Aburaya. Beyond the hills lay a faint, almost completely transparent, light grayish wall. It shone with a rapidly fading sheen of the purest silver in her gaze.

"We'd better find the Great Opal and stop the Evil One before the barrier is completely overwhelmed by his influence," Zeniba muttered darkly, "by then it will be too late and both worlds will collapse into complete and utter chaos, and from this chaos He shall gain power and rule."

_That's why we're heading back to Swamp's Bottom if you haven't already forgotten, _Haku replied placidly, _we need Sakura's help in finding the Great Opal after all, she is the only one who can figure out where it was hidden, she _did_ hide it and then erase all memories of its location._

"I haven't forgotten Haku. I'm not so old that I would forgot something as crucial as that." Beneath her Yoshiro snorted, his emerald eyes gazed at the small building surrounded by a grove of trees.

_If you two would stop arguing, you'd notice that we're here. _Without warning he dived towards the building accompanied by Natsuko. She was followed by Hikari, Haku, and Chihiro who were in turn followed by the phoenixes.

They landed in the soft muddy ground in front of the house. Rin, Zeniba, and Keiko climbed off of their mounts and watched as everyone shifted into their humanoid forms. Chihiro destroyed the bubble of air that surrounded Takeo, Kasumi, and Kai before they entered the house, which had been opened by a kindly No-face when he heard Haku knocking on the door only a few seconds before.

"Welcome back Zeniba," Sakura greeted the elderly witch once she entered the building, "I hope you didn't mind me staying here after I left the castle. This fellow here was quite kind and let me stay without hindrance when I asked if it was possible I could stay here for an extended period of time."

"You're quite welcome Sakura," Zeniba answered gently, "I do not mind visitors, and yes No-face is a very kind spirit."

"I see that you've brought the others with you... and may I inquire on the purpose of this trip."

"We're here because of the Great Opal," Takeo told her as the door shut softly behind him, "now that Haku and those trapped with him have been freed we can now set off on our real mission."

"I see… then let us begin our search for Hikari's opal. I'm sure you're aware that it is one of the two opals needed to reveal its location, and then we'll search for the one that I hid. Once we have found the two necessary stones, then yes we'll start searching for the Great Opal."


	33. Hikari's Opal

Chapter Thirty-Three: Hikari's Opal

"So then where should we start searching for my youngest sister's opal?" Haku asked.

"Well… we could start by returning to her river," Sakura advised dryly, "but I won't be able to help you as I cannot exit Spirit World no matter _how_ weak the barrier is. I'm bound by an ancient law as old as the world itself that forbids me to. I'll take you to the portal that leads to her river, from there on you'll have to manage to find her opal _yourselves_."

"Well then let's go this portal and get my opal," Hikari said impatiently.

"Not now Hikari," Zeniba told the young dragon, "first we rest _then_ we'll look for the opal."

"But then the Evil One will find the opal before we do!"

"Well it's a risk that we'll have to take! We'll leave for the portal first thing tomorrow." Hikari didn't reply, her countenance that of great disgust and displeasure. Despite her wish to start searching for the first of the two opals that would lead Great Opal and defeat of the Evil One, she had to admit that she was starting to feel a bit tired and rest would do her good.

"Then it's settled we'll rest here overnight and leave for the portal first thing tomorrow," Zeniba said authoritatively, "No-face could you help me set up the futons and help me cook dinner." No-face nodded and headed towards the loft where the futons were kept while Zeniba began chopping vegetables in preparation for a soup that she planned to make. Chihiro assisted her soaking rice in water which was then in a large pot. She then hoisted this pot onto a hook just above the dancing flames of the fireplace and waited for the water to boil.

Hikari watched silently as Zeniba and Chihiro made dinner, occasionally assisting whenever possible. Her thoughts intent on the quest that they were about to set upon she spent most of her time with Sakura and Kai chatting about what could happen and what should be done. "Don't worry so much Hikari," Sakura advised her cheerfully, "when the time comes to claim the opal, hold it within your hands. It'll recognize you and allow you to merge a portion of its energy with yours to fend off the Evil One if need be."

"What if the combined energy of the opal and my own isn't enough though?" Hikari questioned. "The Evil One has been growing stronger in the past few days and I'm worried that I won't be able to fend him off even with the extra power."

"Hikari," Kai retorted annoyed, "realize that your opal is connected with the Great Opal, and despite the connection being unfathomable and possibly quite fragile, the Evil One is not so powerful that he can resist its power."

"I can't help but worry though, we're nearing the end of our mission and things are becoming more and more dangerous. The chances of us being killed increases with each passing day."

"I realize that Hikari, but you mustn't worry so much." Sakura insisted imploringly. "Everything will go well, and we _will_ succeed in our mission. If your opal is anything like my opal it has the strength and ability to resist the Evil One no matter how strong He gets, for it relies on the Earth as a power source while the Evil One can only rely on himself to supply needed energy. He _will_ be defeated by the opal, no matter how powerful He grows, for the strength of one soul isn't enough to outlast that of the world around us."

"You're right," Hikari sighed, "it's just that I'm so nervous about the Evil One and what might happen that I'm not exactly thinking clearly thanks for abating my fears Sakura you too Kai. I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Kai told her kindly, "as long as you're feeling better." Hikari smiled, a tiny barely noticeable smile, but Kai noticed and smiled back. He realized that she was still troubled about what could happen to them when they went to search for the opal. After what occurred to Chihiro, she had become more and more unnerved about the powers of the Evil One. No-face walked over to the three and scolded them for not eating dinner with the others.

"Well I guess it's time for dinner," Kai chuckled good-naturedly as No-face whacked him in the head with a wooden spoon. He winced upon impact, but otherwise didn't reveal that he noticed that No-face had hit him with the cooking utensil. He stood up and walked towards the long wooden table where the others were enjoying their meal. As No-face moved on to Sakura, she stood up and followed Kai towards the table sitting between Zeniba and Chihiro.

No-face then turned towards his final victim: Hikari. As he prepared to whack her, she grabbed the spoon and yanked it out of his hands. "Do _not_ use wooden spoons to whack people on the head," Hikari told him furiously and whacked him on the head with the spoon, "first, it hurts a _lot_ and secondly, people find it _very_ annoying."

"Ah…ah…ah…ahhh…ahh…ah…ah…ah." No-face told her softly.

"I'll starve myself if I want to just stop hitting people with a wooden spoon and I'll have dinner!" She threw the spoon onto the wooden floorboards and walked towards the table, choosing a spot between Haku and Kai.

"I'm guessing that you didn't like being hit by that spirit," Kai teased her.

"His name is No-face, and yes I do not enjoy being hit in the head with a wooden instrument of whatever type." Hikari sniffed before beginning her meal.

That night while the others had fallen asleep in their futons, Hikari lay awake. Her glimmering emerald eyes were peering at the ceiling above her, imaging what the nighttime sky beyond looked like. Her mind was occupied by thoughts of the upcoming search and its possible dangers. She sighed and rolled over to her side _Sakura's right, I really shouldn't worry so much. _She closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning found Hikari leaning against the walls of the large cabin. A thin plume of smoke rising into the blue sky as the sun slowly rose, illuminating the few silky clouds that still lingered with brilliant hues of pinks, oranges, and delicate shades of gold.

Hikari's own emerald eyes were seemingly glowing with the sunlight. "Hikari you're up early," she turned counterclockwise to face Kai who was leaning against the doorframe. "Had trouble sleeping last night and decided to come outside in order to calm yourself?"

"No," Hikari replied softly, "I just woke up early and couldn't fall back asleep so I decided to come out here and watch the sunrise."

"The others are going to be worried about you if you don't get back inside soon; your eldest brother was just waking up when I left." Hikari sighed and did as Kai advised expecting to find Haku climbing down from the loft where they slept within the next few minutes. She wasn't disappointed.

"You're up early Hikari," Haku said as he noticed Hikari walking towards the table where No-face was lying out ingredients for the breakfast meal, "were you unable to sleep or something?"

"No I just woke up early and found myself unable to fall back asleep," Hikari muttered placidly as she helped No-face prepare breakfast. Zeniba walked into the house from the front door, in her left hand was a bucket of milk and on she carried a dozen freshly laid eggs in a basket in her right. She set the ingredients on the table and No-face went about making omelets. The others all stumbled sleepily into the main room of the cabin one after another. Only Takeo, Kai, and Kasumi seemed awake.

Hikari watched in curiosity as they gathered into a small circle and began muttering darkly to each other. _I wonder what they're talking about. _She watched as No-face and Zeniba carried the finished omelets back to the table and everyone, except for the phoenixes, began eating.

No-face walked towards them, his normally placid countenance now a mixture of anger and distrust. In his hands was tightly clenched a wooden spoon. _Guess he decided not to listen to me… oh well he'll learn soon enough how badly people hate being hit on the head with a wooden spoon. _The phoenixes however noticed No-face hovering towards them, and hastily hurried towards the table, having been warned by Kai about what happened to those who didn't flock towards the table on time for their next meal.

Everyone except for No-face, Rin, and Zeniba, who had opted to stay behind, filed into the courtyard. Keiko waited for Yoshiro to transform into a dragon before mounting him. Once everyone was in their other shape did they soar into the sky. Sakura lead them above thick forests towards a line of pale in the distance, a small creek threading through the green forests. They could also see a building the forests, and they supposed that was the home of the first Dragon of Nature that Keiko and Hikari had visited to learn about Sakura and discover the opal.

_Do you see the building? _Sakura asked as they approached it. _It marks the portal in the creek. The portal is underwater though so your phoenix friends might have some trouble getting to it. _

_Don't worry Sakura, _Chihiro assured her grimly, _they'll come. I'll just provide the shields of air I always provide for them when it rains or something. _Sakura snorted and dived towards the river, the others following her.

_I can accompany you no further, _Sakura told everyone once they had landed near the creek. With her snout she pointed towards the calm waters of the creek, which proved to be deeper than they originally suspected. _You'll have to find the portals yourselves as I cannot approach it. _

Haku snorted and dived into the waters, Chihiro surrounded Takeo, Kasumi, and Kai in the usual bubble of air before following him. Hikari snorted and dived in after Chihiro and Natsuko after her. _Hold onto your breath Keiko, _Yoshiro advised her before plunging into the water. Kai and Kasumi followed him water colliding with their bubble of air. Takeo was the last to dive into the creek; he had sensed a presence close-by and was peering around him. Sakura had already left so he was aware that it couldn't be her. Unable to observe any signs of another sprit he dived into the river and followed his friends towards a portal hidden in a nearby underwater cave.

As he plunged into the creek, a dark serpent slipped silently out of the shadows in which he hid. _Go on, _he thought to himself. _Lead me to this opal that you so desire…_

Chihiro and her friends found themselves in another underwater cave; this one was engulfed in murky and polluted waters unlike the one that they had entered through. Yoshiro swam out of the cave and towards the surface of the river, so that Keiko could breathe. They then rushed towards the opposing bank of the river where they were to watch for any danger.

Natsuko watched them leave, unable to alleviate the thought that Yoshiro no longer cared for her. A small tear appeared in the corner of the left eye and was carried away by the murky waters of the cave. _Well Hikari, _she asked the youngest sister of her beloved, _this is cave is located in your river and I'm told that you've been here before, which way do we go?_

_We'll have to go back the direction that we came in. _Hikari decided to explain her plan in more detail when Natsuko gave her a snort of shock and surprise _I meant that we'll have to go back as in going past the portal. It's a bit tricky and I've only managed to do it once before. Basically think of the portal as a barrier and when you touch the portal imagine the barrier shattering beneath your weight. The difficult portion of it is that you have to imagine the barrier shattering at the exact time that you touch the portal._

_I guess I'll go first then, _Haku announced after his sister had finished speaking. _Wish me luck. _He dove towards the filmy and nearly translucent portal, and they watched as he swam past it and into the other side visible through the portal. Hikari went next, rushing through the portal with perceptual ease. Chihiro and Natsuko followed her, and both managed to arrive on the other side as Hikari had. The phoenixes were the last to pass through.

_That wasn't too bad, _Chihiro declared after rushing past the portal.

_Well I was young when I first attempted to go past the portal onto the other side and that's probably why I remembered it as tricky, _Hikari admitted.

_From here where do we go? _Natsuko asked.

Hikari pointed to the maze of tunnels that lay beyond and snorted _do you see those tunnels? I threw the opal past the barrier and it ended up in one of them. I'm not sure which one though because I couldn't see past the portal when I threw it, back then the barrier between the two worlds were still very strong as you are well aware. _

_Then how are we supposed to find it? _

Hikari grinned, and lifted a glowing opal pendent clenched tightly in her talons _Sakura gave me her opal pendent before she left, it'll glow whenever it's in the presence of my opal. _

_Then let's see which tunnel it rolled into! _Hikari nodded and lifted the pendent, and disappeared into the tunnel to the far left as the pendent glowed brightest when it was pointed in that direction. The others followed her, and so they went following Hikari who wield Sakura's pendent and the key to the first opal.

Hikari stopped suddenly. _Is something wrong Hikari? _Chihiro asked her, confused.

Hikari growled, the Emerald pendent that hung around her neck was flashing brightly. _The Evil One's here. _The phoenixes had also stopped and were grimly observing their Rubies that had also began glowing.

_That would mean that…_

Hikari pointed on the tunnel to the far right, where a bright shinning white light and writhing figures could be spotted. _He's already found it…hold Sakura's pendent for me Chihiro. She'll kill me if I lose it, and I'm liable to if I'm fight the Evil One and his henchmen. _

_Be careful Hikari, _Chihiro trembled slightly as Hikari handed her the opal pendent and swam off in the direction of the light. As she had suspected they were pounding against the barrier of light that surrounded a single glowing opal lying on the floor of the submerged cave. Tiny lines spider webbed across its glossy white surface. _I have to do something… the barrier will shatter soon and they'll get the opal otherwise. What can I do though? Once I attack they'll probably kill me, unless…_

Without a second thought she snarled threateningly into the chamber and hid in the shadows as a few serpents swam out of the shadows to search for the intruder. She blasted the five that dared exit the chamber away with a powerful combination of her own powers and that of the Emerald. Now that the dragons' attention was adverted to the supposed intruder she waited as they swam past before she swam towards the chamber.

She was surprised to find a single dark dragon waiting for her, and from the flashing light of her Emerald she was aware that it was the Evil One. _Get out of my way before I blast you to smithereens! _She snarled angrily at the serpent.

_A feisty little dragon aren't we? _The Evil One chuckled menacingly. _Well here's a lesson that you'll never forget… never mess with the Evil One. _A dark aura surrounded him and began to grow until the entire chamber was illuminated by its pulsing darkness. Hikari was illuminated by her own aura of brilliant silver, the Emerald pendent that hung around her neck was flashing brightly.

_You'll never win; we'll find the Great Opal no matter how hard you'll try to stop us. _Despite her own statement fears started to creep into her mind that they wouldn't be able to succeed no matter how hard they tried. Her vision blurred and images of future perceptions and present situations occupied her vision.

So clouded was her sight that she was unable to tell that if it was really Haku dying in her sight or whether it was the Evil One shattering the barrier before her sight that was perceived in reality and the present. A feeling of weakness and defeat overwhelmed her. Yet the more she thought about it the more clearer her vision became and the more determined she grew. _I will not let the Evil One defeat me… I will accomplish my goal of getting the opal. _

Over and over she repeated those simple phrases in her mind, and gathering courage she sped past the Evil One to grab the opal that lay on the ground. A brilliant milky white light surrounded the chamber and all remnants of the Evil One's failed attempt to trick her into believing that she had failed. The Evil One eyed her enraged and before he left a single phrase lingered in her mind. _You may have found the first opal… but you will never find the second. Neither you nor your friends are going to accomplish your mission, I will prevail… never forget that Hikari for I will be back. _

_We'll see about that. _Hikari thought to herself smugly as she cradled the opal in her talons and swam back to her apprehensive friends.


	34. The Great Opal

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Great Opal

Hikari landed on the soft ground before the cabin and was greeted by Rin, who ran out of the cabin as soon as she had landed on the ground. "So did you find your opal?" she asked cheerfully. Hikari snorted, nodding, and unclenched the talons of her right foreleg to reveal a small glittering opal slightly larger than a human teardrop. It glowed with a pale white aura and Rin observed it carefully, admiring how it glimmered with a multi-colored iridescent sheen.

Hikari then closed the talons of her right foreleg and transformed into a young teenaged girl, the opal held tightly within her right hand that was clenched into fists. She unclenched it slightly; letting the pressure she had imposed upon the opal decrease slightly and walked into the house, followed by Rin and the others who had since shifted back into their humanoid forms. She showed Sakura the opal, and allowed her to hold it carefully between her thumb and second finger.

"Now that we have found this opal the hard part has now come upon us," Sakura said wryly, "we must now found the opal which my daughter lost in the river. I have an idea where it might be hidden, as I directed her to hide it in a certain area, but the area in question is quite large and has several streams and rivers streaming through it." She handed the opal back to Hikari who wrapped her fingers around the smooth milky stone protectively.

"So then I guess we're going to have to travel to this place then?" Hikari asked softly.

"It does, but we're not going today. You and the others need time to rest, and I need time to plan what we are to do once we reach this particular valley." Sakura stood up, for she had been sitting in a chair, and walked over to Zeniba. Hikari could hear the two conversing in hushed and grim tones.

"Wonder what they're talking about," Takeo walked towards her his dark maroon eyes icy and grim.

"Probably about the valley that the opal pendent is hidden in," Hikari retorted flatly. Takeo seemed thoughtful and walked towards the two. Zeniba and Sakura stopped talking when they noticed Takeo walking towards them. She could hear him inquire as to what they were conversing so intently about. Sakura and Zeniba both seemed insecure as if debating whether they should tell Takeo or not. Noting that they seemed uncomfortable Takeo shrugged and said rather expressionlessly, "I don't mind if you don't tell me, but realize that you'll have to tell everyone else when we leave for this particular valley tomorrow." He separated himself from the group and walked towards Kasumi and Kai who were chatting to each other. They included him in their lively conversation, which turned foreboding after he chanced to join it.

"There's something about him that I don't like," Haku muttered to his sister, "he seems too… withdrawn and…well to put it frankly dark."

"I know," Hikari replied bluntly, "I suppose you noticed what happened to Kasumi's and Kai's conversation after he joined in on it?" Haku nodded in reply his emerald eyes blazing with a mixture of mistrust and suspicion.

"Don't try to judge him too harshly," both turned around to face Natsuko who was looking at the trio of phoenixes, "he's been through a lot, and many of his experiences aren't _exactly _something you _would want_ to remember."

"How do you know?" Hikari asked, speechless.

"When you had left to get your opal I was chatting with Takeo, I was curious and wanted to find out more about him. I learned some things that I won't relay to you without his permission, for they are both terrible and frightening."

"Then what did you learn about him?" Haku asked the sapphire-eyed spirit harshly.

Natsuko stared at him her sapphire eyes cold yet soft, "his family and many of his friends were killed on an attack by the Evil One. Amongst those killed was the one that he loved and ever since that attack he has sworn revenge upon their death." There was silence. As Haku and Hikari contemplated what Natsuko had told them, their eyes began to drift towards Takeo. Things that they had previously overlooked in the spirit now became magnified, his somber and wary attitude, his silence, and the anger that lurked hidden in his dark maroon eyes.

"Wow," Hikari said softly and gently, "I never knew… the ones he loved and cared for the most killed by the one we now face."

"In a way I'm kind of glad that the council choose him," Hikari looked at her confused, Natsuko smiled and added, "he won't allow us to stray from our task, and so helps us by making sure we're doing what we were meant to do." Hikari grinned feebly, her expression that of great amusement.

"Natsuko is correct," Haku agreed his eyes wandering towards the two females, "Takeo _does_ prevent us from straying from our task. For that I too am glad that the council decided that he should join us on our mission."

Hikari mock-groaned and stormed away from the two her eyes twinkling with mischief. She walked towards Keiko who was conversing animatedly with No-face. No-face, having spotted the youngest sister of Haku walking towards them, uttered a three syllable phrase in greeting. "Hi No-face, Keiko," Hikari spoke cheerfully, acknowledging both members of the small duo.

"Hi Hikari," Keiko greeted the elder girl kindly. No-face quickly uttered syllables telling them that he was going to cook the evening meal and if they wished to help him. The two girls accepted his offer and helped the shadowy spirit make the evening meal.

The rest of the day passed quickly and uneventfully. Hikari soon found herself lying in her futon unable to sleep. "What are you thinking about?" Hikari shifted so that she was facing Kai who slept to her immediate left.

"Tomorrow I guess," Hikari admitted nonchalantly. "I'm a bit apprehensive about what's to happen."

Kai looked at her for a heavy moment before replying softly, "you're worried that one of us is going to get hurt aren't you?"

"Perhaps… I'm not exactly sure what it is that is worrying me. Maybe I just feel that the entire situation has been daunting despite the challenges we have faced and surpassed." Kai didn't reply as his gaze shifted from her to the ceiling. He thought about the events that had come to pass and the trails that they had faced. He closed his eyes thinking _it must have affected her in more ways than she reveals it does… maybe its why she hasn't been exactly perky these last few days and why she was in such a bad mood these last few days. _

It wasn't long before he fell asleep. His last thoughts being what he should do to help her overcome the feelings of despair that were troubling her so. Hikari watched as he fell asleep, he looked so peaceful, unbothered by the trails of the world. _Wish I could be more laid-back like him, _she thought to herself enviously before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

The next morning found Keiko and Hikari awake and assisting No-face prepare the morning meal. "Ah…ahh…ah," he instructed them as they made omelets.

"We won't No-face," Hikari assured him kindly as she scooped her finished product with a spatula and placed it into a plate. Keiko copied her actions when her eggs had finished cooking. The two then set the freshly cooked food onto the table. The others, having recently wakened, stumbled sleepily towards the table before gorging themselves on the omelets.

"So where are we headed off to today Sakura?" Keiko asked the elder spirit kindly after finishing her meal.

"A hidden valley known only to my family, the royal family, and the council," Sakura replied bluntly after swallowing the last portion of her meal, "if I'm not mistaken, the opal pendent is hidden somewhere within the valley. Oh and Hikari, remember to bring your opal. It is the only way to find the opal of the pendent that I gave to my daughter."

"Why?" Keiko asked, curious.

"Hikari, explain to her why only your opal can find the opal pendent."

"Because the two opals are connected rather intimately," Hikari explained, "the opal of the pendent will _only_ respond to its sister opal and to no other unlike my opal which is a rather normal opal which will react to any other opal of power, such as that of Sakura's." Keiko pondered what her friend had told her.

As she sat there silently thinking, Sakura said somberly, "Because of the secrecy surrounding the valley only Haku, Yoshiro, Hikari, Natsuko, Kai, Kasumi, Takeo, Chihiro, and I will be leaving for the valley. Rin, Zeniba, and Keiko are to remain behind."

"How is it that Natsuko gets to go and I don't," Keiko pouted, "I mean she's not affiliated with the royal family of dragons."

"She is actually," Yoshiro told her bluntly, "she's…engaged to me." A slight blush crept up his cheeks as his eyes wandered towards Natsuko who sat in front of him, alleviating Natsuko's fears that he no longer loved her.

Ignoring Keiko's comment and Yoshiro's reply Sakura continued, "Anyhow only the nine that I mentioned shall be leaving for the valley. The other four will remain behind. I think that it will be fair to warn the nine who shall go that the path, and there is only one path, to the valley will be treacherous and filled with unseen dangers. These are only tests to see whether you are worthy or not to enter. The Evil One will also be following us, as the valley is guarded by a special barrier that too is weakening with the barrier between the worlds as He gains strength, and perhaps even be able to enter the valley untried. I will go into more detail about the valley and the various trails you will have to surpass when we leave."

When those mentioned to journey alongside Sakura to the valley had finished their morning meal, they followed her outside. "I wish I could go," Keiko mused, "I got to go last time."

"I didn't go _either_ times," Rin sniffed, "but you don't see me complaining." The two watched as the nine chosen shifted into their other forms and flew into the azure blue sky lined with only a few wispy clouds.

_So what challenges are we expected to face anyway? _Hikari inquired of Sakura curiously after having traveled a good distance.

Sakura snorted and replied thus, _as we are nearing are destination I shall tell you. The first challenge will be one of wind, the second one of the elements, the third one of pain, and the fourth and final one of temptation. The one of wind shall be an intense wind whose only aim is to force us to admit our weaknesses and land if we can fly through this gale for thirty or so minutes it will pass and we will have passed the first test. _

_The second test is of the elements, in which the elements that we are familiar with will be pitted against us. We shall have to fly through a tempest of water, or for the phoenixes fire. Finding that we can no longer control these elements we shall have to endure this predicament for thirty or so minutes as with the first test. _

_The third test, the one of pain, will force us to endure our worst fears and experience a pain that goes by no name. It is similar to what Haku and the others had to endure with the Evil One's torture and what Chihiro glimpsed when she activated the black stone. This shall go on for at the most forty minutes and then it shall end. _

_The last test is one of temptation, and is the trickiest to pass trickier than even the test of pain which causes so many to turn back. We shall be thrust into a world of perfection and joy, where all we have wished for becomes reality. We will have to stick together and try not to be separated and tempted by what we have seen else we shall give in to our weaknesses and lose all will to fight the darkness. The trick to this one is to remember what we are doing is so that these dreams _may_ become reality and, though it may not be particularly attractive, seek the darkness in life. Only once we have endured this test of temptation may we enter the valley we so seek. _

_Sounds interesting, _Chihiro mused after Sakura had finished speaking, _so only after we pass these four tests may we enter the valley. _Sakura nodded and stopped.

_We are about to face the first test; though it is the weakest of the four mentioned it is still powerful enough to make us want to turn back. _She alerted them softly. Within moments a blast of hurricane-speed winds rushed towards them pushing them in the direction they came from. The hilly landscape below them however was untouched by the wind.

Hikari was tempted to land, so strong was the gale, but her thoughts turned fortunately to the phoenixes who were struggling to fly forward despite the wind. They were disadvantaged; their fiery wings were propelled backwards unlike her, who's slim and serpentine body left very little that could possibly resist the flow of moving air. The struggle of the phoenixes inspired her to continue her attempt to advance forwards.

Natsuko started to dive towards the ground below her, but stopped when realizing she was the only one doing so. _If they can possibly resist this torment than so can I, _she thought to herself boldly and flew next to Yoshiro, who acknowledged her arrival by briefly glancing in her direction. _Thought you wouldn't mind the company, _Natsuko told him simply in response to his questioning gaze.

_Is that so? _Yoshiro asked, unconvinced. _For some unexplainable reason I thought that you wanted to talk to me about our… relationship._

_Well that too… _

_You're worried about Keiko and I aren't you?_

_Was it really that obvious? _

Yoshiro paused before replying sympathetically, _in a way it was, and in a way it wasn't. If your fears have not been abated as of now… there is nothing between Keiko and I. Perhaps she has a minor crush on me and prefers to spend time with me, but I love only you Natsuko. In my travels I have found no one that could possibly replace you._

_That's really sweet Yoshiro, but surely…_

_I am not lying Natsuko. Ask Haku if you wish for evidence of my affection. _

Natsuko gazed at Haku and Chihiro, who were flying before them, their manes snapping wildly in the wind their faces grim. Her sapphire eyes twinkled kindly as she replied _I don't think I shall… they have their own troubles that need to be dealt with. _The two chatted as they waited for the gale to pass, thirty or so minutes according to Sakura's element.

When at last it did pass Hikari admitted shamefully _it wasn't that bad… I don't know why I was tempted to land, besides the phoenixes were worse off than me and if anything _they_ should have been the ones most tempted to land. _

_Our perspectives change due to experience, _Sakura told her wisely as they and the others flew towards the looming gap in the continuous chain of ancient mountains now reduced to tall hills. _What is considered to be difficult due to inexperience is reduced to simplicity due to experience. _

Kasumi was thoughtful as she wondered _I wonder how we shall be pitted against our elements for the next test._

_You shall find out very soon, _Sakura told her coldly as a tower of fire erupted from the earth and surrounded the three phoenixes. It was followed by a tower of water that completely encased the remaining dragons.

Chihiro felt as though the main purpose of the stream of fast-flowing water was to suffocate her beneath its force and will. That is, if it even had a will. The water encircled her body as would tight heavy metal bands wrought of titanium or similar metal. She struggled and found that the water seemed to react to her movement, increasing its hold upon her.

She looked about her to find that her friends were in a similar conundrum, unable to move and writing from the torment imposed upon them. _I just…have to…survive…for thirty minutes, _she thought to herself, _I can do this… I just can't give up… just can't…give… up. _As the pressure of the water increased the task of breathing became more and more difficult. Chihiro found it hard to think and was disoriented due to the lack of oxygen entering her system. A dragon with an emerald mane swam awkwardly towards her, concerned, but she was unable to tell whether it was Haku, Yoshiro, or Hikari.

_Chihiro, _she heard a masculine voice call out to her, _are you okay? _She didn't reply. The words made no sense to her. Just random sounds imposed together.

_No… Chihiro… this can't be happening… it just can't… not after all that we have been through… _tears fell out of Haku's emerald eyes.

Chihiro stared at the dragon. He seemed familiar, but she was unable to recall his name. Such was the effect of the water upon her memories. She noticed that he was crying, but she didn't know how to comfort him, such was the effect of the water upon her thoughts. A strong current pushed her away from the dragon, and all she remembered before she blacked out was his face and the look of utter horror and torment etched upon it.

_No… Chihiro! _Haku tried to follow her as the current pushed her away, yet it was the same current that kept him at bay. He had been weakened greatly by the strain of the water, and it was the current was too strong for him to surpass. He could only watch in horror and longingly as his beloved was carried away, limp and lifeless.

Sakura observed Haku intently, wishing that she could help him and calm his fears. However she could not, for she had her own battle to fight against the water. _He'll get over it, _she turned to face Hikari who was positioned directly behind her, _he always does. I should know as I was with him for a small period of time when he was in the Evil One's custody. _

The elder dragon smiled ruefully, _perhaps… but that was when he knew that Chihiro was still alive… or at least for the time being. Now he has no idea that Chihiro is still alive, for the guise is convincing enough for him to believe otherwise._

_Then why don't we just go tell him that she's alive?_

_I can't… or at least I'm not allowed too. He has to figure out himself that Chihiro is fine, and fight the emotions welling up inside of him by himself. That was the purpose of this test… to find the strength and courage that lay within you and to carry on despite the hardships that will arise. Look at Yoshiro and Natsuko if you want further proof of this. _Indeed Natsuko, like Chihiro, appeared lifeless and was carried away by the current, Yoshiro, like his elder brother, tried to reach her to little or no avail.

_I wonder how come neither you nor I are affected, _Hikari told her companion thoughtfully.

_Look closely at the ones affected and perhaps you will understand. _

_Well… Chihiro and Haku are lovers as are Yoshiro and Natsuko… but if that's true than how come I'm not affected?_

_Well… didn't you think of Kai when you were… drowning? _

_I did… but then I realized that if I could handle the pressure that he surely could._

_Exactly, so you've already accomplished what was expected of you. I assume Kai did as well. _

_How do you know that Kai also fared well? _Hikari asked mystified.

_Well… you don't seem as affected by the water as before, and as long as both of you realize what you were meant to realize than both would be relinquished by your element's grasp. _

_Then what about you? I mean… the one that you love isn't present. _

_As long as I can endure the pressure for as long as it takes for the lovers around me to achieve their goal, than I'll be fine. The same applies for Kasumi and Takeo. _

_Than that means… that your fate is in the hands of my two elder brothers, Chihiro, and Natsuko… _Sakura nodded in reply grimly. Hikari stared at her two brothers, Natsuko and Yoshiro had already been reunited only Haku and Chihiro remained…

Haku gazed enviously at his younger brother, Natsuko, and Hikari. All three seemed to have recovered from the testing and were chatting cheerfully amongst themselves. Sakura, albeit tired and quite weary having been unable to recover from the testing, would at times join into their merry conversation. _What do they have that I don't have, _Haku speculated to himself spitefully, _why is it that Natsuko has recovered from her unconscious state while Chihiro is still unconscious? Then again… it is strange how they suddenly fell unconscious, yet neither Yoshiro, Hikari, Sakura, nor I were affected in that way… Chihiro _should_ be able to regain consciousness if Natsuko has, yet she isn't moving around as she is. _It then occurred to him that Chihiro never really should have fallen unconscious, she was just as strong as her companions, if not stronger, and she had been fine in the beginning, despite the lack of oxygen. As the realization dawned upon him, the towers of water and fire collapsed relinquishing their charges, and Chihiro regained consciousness. The nine members of the group hovered in the air uncertainly after its collapse before continuing their quest. The hills loomed closer in their sight, and they traveled for a good distance untroubled.

_I wonder when we'll be affected by the third test, _Kasumi wondered speculatively. _We should have encountered it by now. _No sooner had the thought occupied her mind did the third test begin. It was with Natsuko that the pain first began, she roared in agony as her belly ached in the most painful way and then it slowly spread to other parts of her serpentine body. Starting with her heart, which throbbed with every heartbeat, and then her tail, which felt as though it was being crushed by a heavy stone. She felt nauseous and weary, revolting images hurried about in her mind. She felt ill and wished it gone.

It spread like a great wave until every member of the party felt the agony and pain associated with the third test. Those who were not used to the torture that the Evil One was prone to found the test to be both painful and challenging, meanwhile Haku and those who had been trapped in the dungeon found that they were able to refute the images and were able to endure, somewhat, the pain.

Amongst those who weren't fortunate enough to experience this type of torment were Kai and Hikari. Several times Kai found himself believing Hikari dead, only to find it an untrue dream. Hikari too was tricked into this belief, as were many others, only to find it to be false. _Kai's not dead… he just isn't… all images that feature him lifeless are false… he's not dead… _Hikari found herself thinking. Despite these thoughts she found it hard to overcome the feeling that she had lost him, adding to the already unbearable pain that overwhelmed her.

Unbidden, her thoughts turned to her conversation with Sakura. _If I can somehow convince myself that Kai isn't dead, and find the strength to carry on… then perhaps this torment will end… _Hikari gazed at Kai, who was hovering uncertainly in front of her.

_Hikari, _he asked, much to her surprise, _are you all right? _Hikari nodded, and the pain slowly began to recede. So did the pain of the others, as Natsuko, Haku, Yoshiro, and Chihiro had already disproved that those they loved weren't dead or dying.

The party continued their journey towards the valley, now visible between tall misty hills of lush emerald foliage. Several streams, illuminated by the sun, wove through the lush valley of flourishing trees, some decorated with vibrant pink and white flowers while others were crowned with leaves of a delicate green. Trees were not the only inhabitants of the valley however; various flowers of differing colors and blades of grass carpeted the valley floor.

They were only a few feet from the entrance to the valley when the felt the stirrings of the fourth and final test. As Sakura had previously advised, they moved nearer to one another creating a misshapen circle whose diameter was mere inches. The world around them seemed to falter, and they were plunged into darkness. In the far distance a faint glimmer of light was visible, and it grew until it surrounded them.

Takeo had closed his eyes to shield them from the blinding light and felt himself being propelled towards a hidden portal. He tried to fight it, but wasn't strong enough to break free of the force that plunged him into the paradise that was the fourth test.

_"Takeo," a girl shouted loudly. Takeo opened his eyes and looked about himself startled, the others were gone. He was slumped against a maple tree that grew on a densely forested hill overlooking a small village below. In front of him stood a slender girl of sixteen with icy dark maroon eyes and dark black hair. She was two inches taller than him and wore a striped blue t-shirt and denim jeans. _

_"Well I'm glad to see that you're awake," the girl retorted wryly, "you've been asleep for about two hours now, and Ms. Idiot over there thought you were dead." Takeo didn't reply, and told himself that it was an illusion despite the reality it hinted of. It was only an imaginative dream that consisted of people who had died in the fire, people who he wished was still alive._

_Realizing this he refused to follow the girl to a group of others that were watching him only a few feet away. Enraged she walked off in the direction of the others who had been watching the two intently. She conversed with them, and he could hear mentions of his name and tentative glances in his direction. Finally a decision was made and the group walked away from him, except for a youthful raven-haired female of about his age (in appearance). She wore a red t-shirt edged with snowy white and dark denim shorts. She watched him intently, her eyes betraying her worry and great apprehension._

_Once the others had left the premises she approached him. "Are you feeling okay Takeo?" she asked him kindly, kneeling in front of him. Takeo nodded. She smiled, but it was clear that she was still unconvinced. _

_She whispered into his ears, "I love you Takeo, as you already know, and because of this I'm care deeply about you. I sense that you're still troubled, though you refuse to admit what it is that is troubling you." _

_Takeo sighed, as tears fell out of his dark eyes, "I love you too, and it's too much to bear seeing you again because I know that you died in the fire." The images shattered before his eyes, and he found himself alone in the darkness…_

"Takeo," he heard a feminine voice call, "wake up!" Takeo opened his eyes and glanced around him. He was slumped against one of the flowering trees that he had spotted growing in the valley. Before him gurgled the clear waters of a small stream and Kasumi was gazing apprehensively at him.

She sighed with relief once he opened his eyes. _Good, _she thought to herself, _so he hasn't succumbed to the fourth test as I feared. _

"I suppose we made it into the valley then?" Takeo inquired of Kasumi after he had observed all aspects of the valley. She nodded in reply.

"Where are the others then?" he asked.

Kasumi hesitated before replying, "they're looking for the frozen stream and the opal pendent."

"How come you're not with them then?"

"I thought that you wouldn't mind the company when you woke up, besides someone has to warn the others if the Evil One comes."

Takeo looked at Kasumi and spoke bitterly, "do you realize how large the parameters of this valley is?"

"I know that the parameters of the valley are huge," Kasumi retorted, "but there is only _one_ entrance to the valley."

"It is still possible that He can find other ways to enter the valley besides the main entrance…"

"Well it's the easiest way into the valley… and it is likely that he'll use it. Besides, he might have been tailing us which would therefore lead him to the main entrance." Takeo didn't reply. Despite this, Kasumi could tell that he was still skeptical of their plan. Takeo took advantage of the silence to look towards the gap between two misty hills that was the main entranceway into the valley. A few clouds drifted lazily across the brilliant azure sky.

_Good… he hasn't arrived yet. _He felt himself relax, until he spotted a dark speck spiraling towards them. He frowned, at first dismissing the dark speck as a bird, but his fears were later realized when it was followed by a swarm of dark specks spiraling towards them. "Kasumi," Takeo spoke nonchalantly to his companion, "what are we supposed to do if we spot the Evil One and his army."

"Huh," Kasumi followed Takeo's gaze and gasped when she saw the dark speck and the swarm that was growing larger as it neared them, "fly as fast as you can until you spot the others and tell them."

"Well that's a really good plan." Takeo muttered sarcastically as he shifted into the form of a phoenix and flew into the sky. Kasumi did the same and followed him. _Do you have any idea where they could be by any chance? _He asked her.

_I recall seeing them flying towards the northwestern corner of the valley…_Kasumi recalled,_ but I remember Chihiro telling me that they also planned to search the northeastern portion of the valley… _

_We'll split up then, _Takeo interrupted hastily, _you search the northwestern portion of the valley and I the northeast. If either of us can't find them, we're to hasten to the other's area… with any luck we'll meet up with each other if we can't find any of them. _

_What about we take the same path that we took to get to our areas? That will increase the chance that we'll meet up with each other. _

_Good idea. _The two flew northwards as quickly as they could possibly manage, pausing for short breaks whenever they grew tired. Behind them the dark swarm grew larger and more menacing. Already the southern edge of the valley had been enveloped in its shadow. At one point Kasumi fancied she saw a dark storm cloud rather than a dark mass of bodies when she looked behind her to calculate the approximate distance between them and her.

In the distance they saw a tall tree flowering with pale white blossoms, around its trunk flowed six streams in a misshapen circular formation. Deciding that it would make a good landmark for them to remember, they split in opposing paths once they reached it.

Takeo flew swiftly in his direction, and he screeched with joy when he spotted Hikari, Sakura, Chihiro, and Haku stooped over a creek. He dived towards the earth and his companions.

Hikari shifted her gaze into the sky when she heard the screech of joy. She smiled when she spotted the phoenix, thinking that it was Kai, but her smile slowly disappeared after the ruby bird landed, for she knew that it was not Kai but rather Takeo. Takeo quickly shifted into his more humanoid form and quickly approached them. He stopped about four feet from Chihiro.

"Hello Takeo," Sakura greeted him courteously, "I'm glad to see that you've awaken…"

Ignoring Sakura's comment, he relayed his message, "the Evil One came… and he's brought his army with him." Chihiro barely managed to stifle a gasp, and Sakura frowned with displeasure.

"Where's Kasumi?" Hikari asked, noticing that the female spirit wasn't present, "I thought that she opted to stay with you in case you've waken. Surely she didn't let you leave without accompanying you."

"She's searching for you guys," Takeo said grimly, "I expect her to come here any minute now realizing there wasn't anyone the northwestern corner… speaking of which where are Natsuko, Yoshiro, and Kai?"

"They're in the northwestern corner of the valley," Sakura informed him calmly, "I suspect that she'll come here bringing them after they find that the icy creek wasn't in their area."

"Do you mean that…"

Sakura nodded, "the creek in front of me is in fact the icy creek, and luckily I managed to pry out the pendent while you were chatting." She held up a tiny chain wrought of silver from which dangled an opal no bigger than a human tear. It shimmered with the sunlight filtered from the passing clouds. Delicate hues of green, blue, red, yellow, orange, and purple were entombed within its snowy white surface like shards of colored glass. From Hikari's perspective next to Sakura, she could see that the opal cast a small amber shadow upon the palm of her hand where it was held.

As Sakura had predicted, the rest of the group landed only a few feet in front of them a few minutes later. "We couldn't find the opal pendent," Natsuko gasped after she had transformed into her humanoid shape.

"I'm aware of that," Sakura told her, "because I'm holding the opal pendent." The others, after having shifted into their more commonly used form, raced towards her in order to glimpse the famed pendent. Once everyone had tired of staring at the pendent, Sakura, with the aid of Hikari, placed the pendent around her neck. The opal upon the pendent glowed warmly next to the one she usually wore.

"At last you have found it," they turned to face a tall menacingly cloaked man walking towards them, "and at last my work is done." He lifted the hood that enshrouded his face to reveal cold red eyes set upon a pale white face framed by scruffy short black hair.

Sakura narrowed her eyes coldly, "Hello. I see that you've finally dared to show your face in public, and more importantly in front of she who is the next in his line."

The man laughed wickedly, "you have not changed, Sakura, from the wimpy girl who stood by her father's side, refusing to be parted from the one she held so dearly. It must have pained you to see your father die as such in my hands."

"I'm sure that you're aware that he didn't die, and it was he that trapped you within the Maze and the Gage, never to be set free."

"Really, then how is it that I am free now? Perhaps you have not yet realized that I've had an accomplice within the royal court who was rather tickled to help set me free."

"After you tricked him into believing that he could gain control of Chihiro's realm," Sakura sniffed, "I'm aware that you lured Yoshiro into snatching the Emerald of Dragons and therefore destroying that which chained you and kept you trapped within the Maze's many corridors and the Cage's impenetrable bars."

The man seemed impressed, "you always were a smart one Sakura, shame that you didn't betray your father and join me by my side as queen. If my memory serves me well, we were lovers once."

"That was before you committed into your evil ways. The innocence in our love was gone after you became what you are now. What I cannot understand is why you dwell in the past so, when you attempted to kill my father, the first Dragon of Nature, I'm sure that you were still disillusioned enough to believe that he was still in support of our marriage. In case you're not aware, I no longer love you and he who I have loved and married is now dead."

"Ah yes, and I suppose that to this day you are still unaware of the cause of his death, well now I shall tell you how he died… I killed him just as I shall kill you and yours and wrench the opal from your grasp." As he finished speaking a dark swarm overcame them.

Hikari saw the man, who she was convinced was the Evil One, walk towards Sakura as chaos overcame them. The two opals were glowing brightly in order to ward off his evil. A writhing dark serpent approached her and she, using the power of her Emerald, destroyed it. Her Emerald was glowing brightly now, a tiny green star in a sea of darkness. She spotted three glowing red shapes in the distance, and she watched as serpents were deflected as they approached a glowing red barrier that surrounded them. _That's not a bad idea, _she thought to herself as she enacted a similar barrier, except it was green, around herself.

She grinned with satisfaction as the barrier blocked the serpents that approached her with great ease. Chihiro, Natsuko, and her brothers weren't so fortunate. Relying on their powers alone, they were only able to destroy a limited number of dark serpents that advanced towards them. Pitying her friends she enlarged the glowing green barrier, first walking closer to them so that she wouldn't have to use too much of her power in order to maintain such a big barrier.

"Thanks Hikari," Haku told his younger sister proudly.

"You're welcome," she replied, "and Sakura's in trouble." Haku shifted his attention to Sakura, who was being held by the man in a seemingly affectionate embrace. "I'm pretty sure that guy's the Evil One." Haku and Chihiro slipped through the edge of the barrier to where Sakura and the Evil One were standing after Hikari had handed them her opal.

"Yoshiro we need to talk," Natsuko told the uneasy dragon sternly once Haku and Chihiro had left.

"I didn't mean to do it," Yoshiro whined, aware of what she might want to talk about, "it's just that I've heard so much about it and though it might be interesting to pay a visit to her realm…"

"That still doesn't make it okay to do such a horrible deed," Hikari retorted. "If mom and dad find out they just might disown you for your deed."

"Hikari's right," Natsuko agreed, "excuses aren't going to make the situation any better."

"I… fine you're right, I guess I should apologize to everyone once this entire thing is over."

"You should, especially to Chihiro for making her life so difficult. I'm kind of glad that you were captured and sent into the dungeon. You _were_ the cause of this entire mess after all."

Hikari smiled ruefully as she watched Yoshiro and Natsuko chat quietly about what could be done to alleviate the pain that he caused. She then turned her gaze towards Sakura, who was now suspended into the air by a dark cocoon…

Sakura struggled against the strands of dark magic that bound her, but found that she could not free herself from its grasp. "So you see Sakura," the Evil One muttered ruefully, "if you had just betrayed your father and joined with me, this entire incident would never have happened."

"If I had betrayed my father both realms would have fallen into chaos and you would have been ruling both as they're supreme ruler afterwards." Sakura snapped.

She felt something pressed into the palm of her right hand. It was followed shortly by Chihiro's voice, "here, its Hikari's opal… use to summon the Great Opal and free yourself."

"I'll summon it," Sakura whispered in reply, "but it shall have to be you who wields it." Despite the tightening of the strands to resist her motion, she slowly pressed Hikari's opal against that of the pendent. _Show me that which has been kept from me. _She thought to herself. Both opals began to glow as did the dark strands of magic. The Evil One had to shield himself from the searing light of the combined opals as Sakura fell into a trance.

_Her father stood before her in a large domed chamber within their home. "Hide it Sakura," he commanded her, "hide it in a way and place so that it will never be found again." _

_"Yes father," Sakura replied respectfully. Within her hands was held the Great Opal, a stone no bigger than the palm of her hands. _

_The image swirled and was replaced by one of the Great Opal, held within her hands, being split into two separate, but smaller, opals._

_The image blurred and was replaced by her father enchanting one of the opals into a scroll. _

_It blurred yet again and was replaced by one of her father placing the opal pendent around her neck. "Keep it safe," he told her lovingly, "you may not remember where it came from… but it is important that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands…"_

Sakura snapped open her eyes, she knew what she must do. The opals were glowing brightly and she imagined them being wielded together into one opal, the Great Opal. The opals obeyed and the silver chain that held the second opal snapped. Its deed was done. The strands that once encased her now fell like limp threads, releasing its victim. Sakura fell onto the earth, and stood up. She handed the Great Opal, which was flashing brilliantly, to Chihiro who stood next to her. As she did the Evil One walked towards her and wrenched the Opal from her grip.

"At last," he whispered his eyes glimmering evilly, "it's mine."

"Think again," a voice brought his attention to a boy that had hurtled himself at him, and had since wrenched the stone out of his grasp. The boy threw it at Chihiro who caught it before he could react.

"No," he screamed in agony. Chihiro faced the Evil One and with all the strength she could muster summoned a glowing cage in which to imprison him and a maze in which the cage was hidden; this was then teleported into some unknown place, desolate and daunting so that no one would be able to find him.

The dark serpents were then banished into the dark realms from which they came, and then it was over. Chihiro collapsed from the exertion. "Is it finally over?" she asked Haku who was kneeling by her side. He smiled and nodded.


	35. The Final Decision

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Final Decision

Chihiro opened her eyes and looked about her. Five days had passed since the Great Opal had been found, and in the time since she had traveled back to the palace of the Dragon King alongside her friends. She could hear voices in the hallway just outside her room.

"I'm so sorry Haku for what I did," she could heard Yoshiro say.

"It's okay Yoshiro," Haku replied kindly, "you redeemed yourself by prying the Great Opal out the Evil One's hand, and giving it to Chihiro before He could do anything with it." The door to her room opened and the two brothers walked into her room.

"I'm sorry Chihiro for the trouble I caused," Yoshiro said as he approached her.

Chihiro smiled warmly, "it's okay Yoshiro, I forgive you. Besides was it not you who took the Great Opal from the Evil One and handed it to me?"

"That still doesn't exempt me from the consequences of my foolish actions, but knowing that you are not bitter because of them makes me feel a bit better."

Chihiro sat up and peered into Yoshiro's saddened emerald eyes, "try not to be too hard on yourself Yoshiro. You just made a mistake, that's all, we all make mistakes. It's a part of life and living." Yoshiro nodded, stood up, and walked out of the room. Haku and Chihiro watched him leave.

"He feels really bad about letting the Evil One out of the Cage doesn't he?" Chihiro asked Haku.

Haku nodded, "he even apologized to Sakura and the phoenixes before they left today… oh and the Dragon King wants to talk to you about… your future." He explained further when Chihiro gazed at him quizzically, "he wants to talk to you about if you want to become a full spirit or not. He understands if you can't decide immediately so he gave you an hour or so for you to decide if you should want to."

He left when Chihiro didn't reply knowing that she was a bit sensitive about the subject. Chihiro quickly dressed herself in the school uniform she had worn when she had first arrived in the Spirit World. She hastened to the dinning hall and sat between Keiko and Hikari. "How are you feeling today Chihiro," Hikari asked her a bit concerned.

"Fine," Chihiro replied curtly, "though I guess I'm kind of nervous about making a decision about whether or not I should become a full spirit."

"My parents won't force you to be a full spirit Chihiro, they may try to persuade you to become one, but you aren't going to be forced into choosing to become a full spirit if you don't wish to."

"I know that, but making a choice that will affect me for the rest of my life seems kind of daunting. I mean I want to be with Haku and spend the rest of my life with him, but I also want to go to college and experience what others my age experience, and being able to visit my parents for only a few weeks or so isn't exactly helping to."

"I'm sure they gave you time to consider…"

"…they did," Chihiro interrupted agitatedly, "but I fear that I still will be unable to choose even after an hour or so."

"Don't fret so much about it Chihiro," Keiko calmed her tense friend, "just spend some time in a quiet place with few people and think over it. I'm sure you'll be able to decide upon what you want to do then." Chihiro didn't reply and left hastily for her room after she finished her meal.

She came upon Rin walking in the hallway on her way to her room. Rin didn't say anything as Chihiro walked passed, knowing that she was still undecided about whether to become a full spirit or not. _Sakura shouldn't have left, _she thought to herself, _she could have helped Chihiro calm herself and allow her to choose whether or not she should become a full spirit in peace without constantly badgering her. _

Sora saw Chihiro slam the door shut after walking into her room. _She's really troubled by having to decide whether or not she should become a full spirit. _She thought to herself. _I should try to talk to her or something in order to calm her; she won't be able to make a decision otherwise. _She silently opened the door into Chihiro's room and slipped inside.

She was surprised to see Chihiro leaning against the wall weeping when she was inside. Sora walked towards her and comforted Chihiro. "It's just that it's so hard to choose between my family and my friends," Chihiro relayed to her, "when I left the Spirit World knowing that Haku would visit me sometime during the future, I never knew that I would be faced with a dilemma such as this if I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him."

"I know Chihiro," Sora to her kindly, "and I don't think they should have forced you to decide so soon. In a year or so after you had returned to your world and given a chance to experience that which you would never get to experience again perhaps, but not in a single hour."

"So do you think I shouldn't become a full spirit then?"

Sora hesitated before replying, "it's your choice whether you want to become a full spirit Chihiro, not mine, not Haku's, not the Dragon King's, or any others that are involved in this. Remember that, and if it makes you feel any better know that Haku will understand if you choose not to become a full spirit." She stood up and left the room, knowing that she had done her best in order to try to calm Chihiro.

Sora's words etched themselves into Chihiro's mind. _Haku will understand if you choose not to become a full spirit. _As she sat there, slumped against the wall, she began to think about the benefits and disadvantages of each.

Time passed as she sat there thinking, and slowly a decision was formed. _Hopefully Keiko and my parents will understand, _she thought to herself as she walked out of her room and towards the Royal Chamber where she was to announce her decision, _besides I love Haku and my parents have always wished the best for me, and Keiko will back my decision, no matter how much it pains her to. _

She passed Haku on her way to the Royal Chamber. He seemed nervous, and she knew that he was just as affected by the decision as she was. _Sora's wrong, Haku wouldn't understand if I choose not to become a full spirit, _she thought to herself. "Hey Haku," she said as she passed him, "I was wondering if you wanted to accompany me to the Royal Chamber."

"Sure Chihiro," Haku replied smiling. The two walked silently towards the Royal Chamber. Everyone else had since arrived and was waiting for the two.

"So Chihiro," the Dragon King told her cheerfully when she entered, "have you chosen or do you need more time to think?"

Chihiro looked at him and said, "I have chosen."

"Then do you wish to become a full spirit or not, choose wisely Chihiro for your decision will affect you for the rest of your life."

_Don't I know it, _Chihiro thought to herself wryly before saying, "I have chosen to become a full spirit." Keiko looked saddened by the news, as Chihiro knew she would, but the look slowly passed from her face. She could and would bear the loss of a friend, besides it wasn't her choice whether or not Chihiro was to become a full spirit.

The Dragon King handed the Great Opal to Chihiro and instructed, "hold the Great Opal in your hands and use your will to guide its power in order to fulfill your wish of becoming a full spirit." Chihiro did as she was told and as she thought of becoming a full spirit she could fell herself being bathed in the Opal's milky light, reliving all her fears, calming her, and assuring her that she had made the right choice.

Only once had she calmed did it set about its task of making her a full spirit. Once its task was complete the light slowly receded and the Opal stopped glowing. She handed the Opal back to the Dragon King who placed it in the cabinet that he used to hide it. "Now that that's settled," he announced, "we can now set about the task of ridding the Spirit Realm of the humans that have since traveled into its heart, and mind wiping them of what they have seen isn't a bad idea either. We will also have to summon back the spirits that have left our realm. I believe I shall allow the humans to remain in our lands for a few more hours until we have figured out a way to send them back through the barrier and mind wiping at the same time."

"What of Keiko then?" Hikari asked. "Is she not a human that has traveled across the weakened barrier, what of her fate?"

"That is why I have allotted a few more hours for the humans to remain in our lands, and as for the mind wipe, I think in Keiko's case we shall arrange for a replacement of her memories, perhaps we should do it for all of the humans that have wandered into our realm. It will allow for her to give a reason as to why she and Chihiro have been gone so long and why Chihiro isn't returning with her. Anyhow you can return to your rooms, or perhaps stay here if you so wish, and plan a memory that would be convincing enough for Chihiro's parents and any others affiliated with her."

Chihiro and her friends hastened out of the Royal Chamber and headed towards the garden where they could relax and think about recent events. "So what sort of memory should we implant into Keiko's mind," Hikari started, "I remember Chihiro saying something about a camping trip, so perhaps we should think of something along those terms."

"What about Chihiro getting killed by a wolf," Keiko advised sarcastically, "they might believe me if I tell them that."

"Then they would demand to see the remains of their daughter and ask why you escaped unscathed, anyhow it would make them ask too many questions."

"What about telling them that I was lost in the woods," Chihiro suggested, "they might believe that."

"Then they would send out search teams to look for you," Keiko retorted, "getting killed would make things much simpler."

"I think that getting lost in the woods is a good excuse," Hikari muttered. "Besides you could say that you were camping near a river or something, or you could just say that she drowned while swimming in the river."

"Well Chihiro isn't exactly that good of a swimmer… I guess her parents would be convinced that she might have drowned, but then they would wonder why I didn't rush her into a hospital or something."

"Tell them that the river current was very swift that it carried her away downstream."

"Hmm, they might believe me if I tell them that… well I guess it's worth a try."

"Well then it's settled," Hikari said, "Chihiro drowned in the river and her body was swept downstream by the current. I'll tell dad that so that he can arrange for it to replace Keiko's memories of this place."

"What about the others then," Chihiro asked softly, "what sort of memory will replace theirs?"

"Probably getting lost in the woods or something," Hikari shrugged, "I'm sure dad's talking to his advisors or something about what would be the best possible excuse for the mass displacement of the people. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you; they probably already figured something out already."

"Yeah you're right." She sighed and closed her eyes. The flowers were still in full bloom and the scent of roses and other flowers still drifted in the air. Haku watched her from a distance. Yoshiro and Natsuko were chattering animatedly behind him. He spotted Keiko gazing sorrowfully at the couple, and he knew that it was not Chihiro that she would miss the most but rather his younger brother.

He smiled to himself. It was good to see Natsuko and Yoshiro together again. They had been separate from each other for so long he had almost forgotten how much they cared for each other. In a way their relationship reflected that of him and Chihiro. They too had been separate from each other for so long that he almost forgot about her. Natsuko's delighted squeal brought him snapped him out of his thoughts, they were hugging each other and everyone's attention had been adverted to the couple.

Hikari seemed amused when she saw the couple, "Yoshiro, is there something you want to tell us?"

Yoshiro turned a bright shade of red as Natsuko stopped hugging him and announced proudly, "Yoshiro and I are getting married." Keiko looked crestfallen, but none except for Haku noticed it.

"Congratulations, so when are you going to get married?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

A man then approached the group, "the Dragon King wishes to meet with you." The group then walked into the central chamber where he waited for them along with his wife.

"The time has come for the humans to return to their realm and the spirits to return to ours," he announced in a somber and grave tone, "Keiko, you shall return home by way of the Aburaya gate. Have you decided upon the memory that shall replace the one you have accumulated during your stay here?" Keiko nodded in reply. "Good, then tell Chihiro now, for she shall be the one to implant it when you leave."

Keiko did as she was told, although Chihiro was already aware of the memory that was decided upon.

Curious, Hikari asked her father, "you mentioned the Aburaya gate, are we to fly Keiko there or have you arranged for an alterative way of travel?"

"We are going to teleport there using the powers of the Great Opal," he told her kindly in reply. He motioned to his wife, who held the Great Opal, and she gave it to Chihiro. Chihiro held it within her hand and willed them all to be transported to the bridge of Aburaya. They were surrounded in the Opal's blinding light and soon they were there.

"Keiko," the Dragon King instructed her once they were there, "once you leave, do not look back else you shall face horrible consequences. Humans were not meant to be in the Spirit Realm as spirits were not meant to be in the Human Realm. If you must bid farewell to us do it now before you start your journey home."

Keiko smiled ruefully, "well bye guys. It's been a fun trip, but now I guess I have to go home." She then turned around and walked across the grassy plain towards the abandoned train station that was the gate. As she did, others joined her in their procession back home.

"Once Keiko reaches the gate," the Dragon King instructed her, "think of her and think of the memory that will replace hers, think of getting lost in a plain and in a forest, and think about a glowing barrier that separates the two realms in that order."

Chihiro did as she was told, and soon the pale translucent barrier was blazing with a newfound energy and strength. As she watched her friend leave her, she thought about her family and the future she would never have. Keiko and the humans that had wandered into the spirit realm were soon replaced by a mass of returning spirits. Her thoughts shifted to Hikari, Yoshiro, Natsuko, Sakura, and more importantly Haku as she thought about what now lay in ahead of her she smiled. She had made the right choice to remain here in the Spirit Realm with Haku as a full spirit, and of this she was glad.


End file.
